The Biotic Of Mindoir
by MassEffectAdict
Summary: This is the history of Kyler Shepard, a colonist who has to deal with being a biotic on Mindoir, where people hate his kind. How Shepard deals with his new life, and how his past shaped him into the war hero he will become. T for violence and language.
1. The Man In White

Chapter 1: **The Man In White**

Disclaimer: Bioware owns the Mass Effect universe. I'm just borrowing parts and pieces, and adding my own ideas and characters into the mix.  
I am unsure if I want to make this a three part story, or make it one big story, so please, show you care by voting in the poll on my profile.

Just some background info about my Shepard: Kyler Shepard is sixteen years old, son of John and Jane Shepard. He has his fathers dark brown eyes, and his mothers reddish-ginger colored hair, usually kept short, though not buzzed, and is thoroughly tanned due to his life as the son of a farmer on Mindoir. His mother was exposed to ezo-dust, and had a complicated birth at a special facility. She died of a prolonged cancer when Shepard was ten. If you don't like his appearance, then just add your own Shep. His appearances will have little to no effect on the story.

MEMEMEMEMEME

Shepard watched in horror as the tractor's safety break disengage and slowly inched forward towards his father, who was working in the fields. He tried to call out, but fear robbed him of his voice. He found himself staring at the tractor with disbelief. He squeezed his eyes shut and pleaded to the God he had no faith in that the tractor would stop. He opened his eyes and stretched out his hand but nothing happened. He saw his father, still oblivious to the oncoming danger, dutifully tilling the soil for the next seasons harvest. Just before the imminent collision, his father looked up at the tractor and then at his son and gave a frown that said: _why didn't you warn me, why didn't you save me?_

He awoke with a start and took in his surroundings trying to calm himself. Cold sweat still cluing to his skin and night shirt. He had this nightmare every night since the incident. He could still recall the day with perfect clarity.

MEMEMEME

Two weeks ago

He had just got home from school, and was heading back home. Shepard groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. He had had a splitting headache for two days now, but nothing made it go away. He had even shocked one of his teachers just by touching her. The entire colony was made of metal, so there weren't many places he could have got a charge. He shrugged off the pain as best he could and walked over to the western field. The sprinklers there had malfunctioned, and it was the start of a new season, so they had to be working soon.

Finally, walking around the house, Shepard smiled as he saw his dad working in the field. He was hunched over a pipe, and repairing it as best he could. That is to say, he had duct tape in one hand, and the other hand was busy scratching his head. John had yet to notice his son, so Shepard decided to push his luck, and relaxed in the shade of one of the Guara trees, plcking some of the sweet fruit from a dangling limb. He had never understood why, but his father had decided to get quantity over quality land. As a result, much of the land here was rocky, and sloped. Especially here on the western field, where they almost had to build a terrace. Fortunately, the land was rocky enough that most of the soil stayed in place, but it was still difficult to harvest the fruits and vegetables.

Shepard heard a small pop, and turned to look at the tractor. _Damn I'll probably have to fix that later._ His smile faded, as the tractor's safety break disengage and slowly inched forward towards his father. the tractor was nearly a half mile away, and his father was out of shouting range. He wanted to run and tell his father, but fear rooted him in place. Finally snapping out of his daze, he ran towards the tractor, but it was too late. Finally John looked up at the noise, and saw the tractor, but it was only a few feet away. John stood agape, and stared at the tractor. Shouting out, Shepard stretched out his hand. He felt as if his muscles gave out, as blue electricity rushed over his hand and forearm. The blue glow leapt from his hand and engulfed the tractor, tossing it aside.

John finally looked up, and saw his son crumpling to the ground as the tractor was blasted to the side in a flurry of blue energy

Shepard was too tired to be properly horrified as the tractor came crashing back to the ground. He saw his father looking at him, and smiled in a daze. He waved to his father, and as darkness began to crash over him, Shepard felt a sense of completeness rush through him that he hadn't felt since his mother died six years ago.

MEMEMEME

Two weeks ago  
Three miles from the Shepard residance

He smiled to himself as he saw the tractor lifted from the ground through his sniper scope. The Man had been right after all. And it had worked. This specimen was the only one that had survived, but the experiment had been a success after all

He pulled out his comlink and activated it "Subject 42 is a success. Repeat, Subject 42 is a success"

MEMEMEME

Present Day

He exhaled and tried to clear his mind, but the inccident kept repeating itself in various ways. Sometimes he was forced to watch as his father died, and at others he saved his father, but was angry, or terrified that his son was a biotic. Of course, none of those things happened, but still, it was a persistant fear albiet an unfounded one.

Realizing that he wasn't going to get any more sleep, Shepard snapped himself out of his reverie, and walked to the refresher to splash a handful of cold water in his face.

Looking out the small window in the bathroom he saw a hover-car in the driveway. He frowned at that, non of the city folk came out here, and they were the only ones with fancy cars like that. On closer inspection he found the Alliance emblem painted on the door and a man in a white suit was on the front porch with his father.

Without bothering to change clothes, Shepard raced through the hall and hid on the stairs to listen in on the conversation.

"Be reasonable Mr. Shepard your son seems to be a very powerful biotic even without an amp. You must realize that because of his high metabolism he will only be a burden..."

The man in white never had time to say another word as John Shepard's face began to turn livid.

"Thank-you for your consideration, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to decline" John all but spat.

Shepard silently gave a "whoop" as his father stood up for him.

The man in white continued undeterred. "Hear me out Mr. Shepard. I am sure you have heard of what happened at BAaT, but I assure you, nothing like that will happen with your son. In fact, because your son shows such talent without an amp, we have decided we would like to try something... different. We will call in a private tutor for your son, and pay for all his food, and expenses that he will require as a biotic. This tutor will also be discrete, so your son will not have to worry about the any of the consequences any other biotic in his position would have to deal with."

John took in the facts and began to accept defeat, but managed to whisper with barley suppressed consequences rage "what's the catch?" The anger and fire in him was already dying out.

_No, no, no please Dad, don't agree to this._ But the man in the white suit continued triumphantly.

The man in white raised his right hand in reassurance. "No catch Mr. Shepard. We will benefit by observing your son, from a distance of course, as his biotics continue to manifest, but we ask for nothing in return." The man flashed a perfect smile that only a salesperson could fully appreciate.

John suddenly found the steel floor very interesting, but managed to nod his head.

The man in the white suit continued to smile "If that is all I'll be leaving now. The tutor will be here in one week, and will train with your son three days a week after school, or as she sees fit. Good day Mr. Shepard. I _do _hope to see you again very soon."

Shepard was shocked that his father had sold him out to the Allience rep. Everyone had heard about what they did to human biotics. It was hardley any better than how every other person treated biotics. Except the Allience also prodded them with needles instead of just malicious glares. Shepard sat down on the stars and rested his head in his hands. And felt someone wrapping their arms around him, but he didn't bother to look up to see his father.

John tried to hug his son, but was shoved away "No!" Shepard finally stood up and looked at his father, sittling were Shepard had been a moment before "H-how? How could you do that to me? Dad what are you thinking?"

John sighed and stood up. This time, when he hugged his son he didn't push him away, but nor did he return the embrace. "I'm sorry Kyler. I really am so sorry. But think about it. Free food, Alliance funding, you get to stay here, and your biotics will be kept secret. I'm sorry Kyler, but there really was no other way."

Shepard sighed and finally hugged his father "I know dad. I'm just overwhelmed with all of this, and I still have that headache. I know you just want the best for me. Thanks. For everything."

Shepard looked down, but John place his hand on his sons chin and brought it level with his face "Kyler I love you, no matter what. I just want you to be safe, and have a calm, peaceful life that I never had. And I don't feel obligated to the Alliance because I enlisted all those years ago. My only concern is for you and only you. I love you."

Finally Shepard sighed and leaned into his father again "I know dad. I know. And I love you too." He sighed again and looked up at his father. "Thanks. I just... I don't know I'm just so tired and fed up with keeping this big secret. "

John nodded his head "I know Kyler. I know."

MEMEMEME

Three miles from Shepard residance.

He but down his omni-tool and deactivated the listening bug. He could have turned it off when the Alliance rep had left, but he had to make sure Subject 42 wouldn't do anything to jeopardize the experiment. He activated his omni-tool, and established a secure connection to the Cerberus hub. Rereading his report, he finally sent the report to The Man, and one of his agents. He may not like aliens, but he had to admit, Sarona was one powerful and clever asari if she was able to infiltrate the Alliance, and get them to allow her to personally oversee Subject 42's biotic training. But even if she was on the Cerberus pay roll, that didn't mean he had to trust her.

MEMEMEMEMEME

Well there's the first part of my story. Hope you enjoy reading even half as much as I enjoy writing it. Make sure to review with extreme prejudice, but please, no outright flamers. At least add some criticism. =)


	2. The Tutor

Chapter 2: **The Tutor**

Disclaimer: In case you were wondering, Yes. Bioware still owns Mass Effect and all related content. Imagine that.

MEMEMEMEMEME

The week was gone and over before Shepard could fully prepare himself for the meeting his tutor. Of course he never would have been fully ready but this was the day that his tutor was arriving. The week had gone by quickly and had been uneventful, with the exception of his friends joking about the amount of food he was eating. Surprise. If you eat four sandwiches and a salad people notice. His teachers waved it off as a growth spurt, but the innocent teasing sent a cold shiver up his spine, constantly reminding him of what he was.

As the bus rounded the final corner, the familiar sight of home relieved some of his discomfort. Further scrutiny of the house, however revealed a parked hover-car. All the tension he had felt over the past week returned as he realized who must own the vehicle. His new tutor. One again, Shepard felt a shiver run up his spine.

Shepard took a deep breath, and stood up. He was walking slowly to the front of the bus. Finally the doors opened with a pneumatic whoosh, and he stepped down.

Shepard continued his rigid march, and finally opened the door. The room was exactly like it always was. Bare, metal, and dull. His father was sitting on the couch like he always did, but the purple asari demanded the attention of anyone in the room. She was sitting next to him, smiling and talking to John, who was chafing at being alone with an asari. The asari continued to smile and talk, obviously aware of his discomfort.

When she noticed him, the asari stood up and looked straight at him, her blue eyes piercing right through him. Satisfied, she nodded and said "You must be Kyler Shepard. I've heard a lot about you. My name is Sarona Callius. I was hired by the Alliance to tutor you in the basics of biotics." She put a small emphasis on 'the Alliance' but Shepard didn't notice.

Feeling the knot of unrest in his stomach begin to unravel itself, Shepard bowed as an asari would to their mentor, earning him a raised eyebrow from both his father and the asari. Shepard had done his homework, and unlike the other boys at school, he looked up more than just asari porn on the extranet.

MEMEMEMEMEME

Shepard and Sarona were in the woods surrounding his house. He was told that the ancient trees here resembled the old pine trees on Earth, but he didn't have anything to compare them to. To him, they were just the Nikata trees. In the many small clearings, Shepard could see the purple grass growing out of the red, iron rich soil.

Finally Sarona motioned for him to stop. "This is a good place for you to practice." The asari said curtly.

They were in a clearing devoid of plant life. The soil here was even rockier than his farm, and didn't have enough iron in the soil to sustain life. The soil here was an odd brown color, and looked very much like the bark of the Nikata trees. While most of the rocks were only the size of his fist, a couple rocks near the tree line were about half his height and had a flat top.

Taking a seat on one of the larger rocks, Sarona began to explain the intricacies of biotics, and the asari's philosophies behind them. Sarona talked nonstop for three minutes, but at first he didn't pay much attention. It wasn't that he was lazy or disrespectful, but he didn't really see how they related to biotics, or his proficiency in controlling them. Of course this view quickly changed when she looked down at him "Now. I want you to recite word-for-word what I said, and explain what it means in general, and how this effects you."

Kyler just stared at her, mouth agape "wa-wait... you want me to... no that's impossible, I can't... you can't..."

She raised a hand to silence him and shook her head "Because this is your first time, I will repeat everything I said. But don't make me do this again."

Since he wasn't really in a position to bargain, Shepard nodded his head. "Good. Now then when you use biotics you must remember to constantly breath..."

Shepard tried to repeat what Sarona had said, but after a few seconds, he found himself being lifted in the air, and tossed, skidding accross the rocks and dirt, and only coming to a stop when he hit a tree. He tried to sit up, but Sarona extended her arm, a blue caccoon surrounded Shepard, forcing him to stay down.

"What the hell are you doing?" Kyler shouted at her. He didn't even know what he had done or said, but asari just sighed at him.

"Consider this a physical lesson on the knowledge you have failed to grasp." Shepard has lifted in the air, and felt his body being pulled in all directions at once. Sarona kept her cold gaze on him, and demanded that he repeat the lecture.

MEMEMEME

Five days later

Despite what the Alliance rep had said, Sarona forced Shepard into the clearing every day since she had come to Mindoir. Although he was supposed to learn how to control his biotics, Sarona refused to teach him until she thought he was ready. So far, their sessions lasted three hours, in which Sarona would demand that he repeat the lecture on biotics or philosophies, and then expand on it. So far, all his attempts to do so had resulted with him flying through the air, being lifted, threatened, and then trying to please his tutor by repeating her words.

Yesterday had been the first day Shepard was able to recite and expand on the oral lesson, Sarona nodded her head explained his first biotics exercise. "This will be difficult for you. Now, focus on a rock and try to throw it."

Shepard looked at the unrelenting asari in shock "b-but I don't even know how to use my biotics!" He was sure that his tutor must have false information on him. That or she had a terrible sense of humor.

His comment resulted in a biotic push that sent him reeling "No. You know _how _to do it, you just refuse to. You did it to that tractor. Your own reluctance to use biotics is the only thing that is holding you back." She stared him down with an intensity that could melt steel.

Rubbing his shoulder he thought about what Sarona had told him, and shook his head. And voiced his opinion "Of course I was able to do it then. I had to save my dad!"

"Ah so your biotics came to you through instinct, and were activated by a life-or-death situation?" She stated is at a fact rather than a question. Before he could fully process what she had said, he was nodding his head.

"Alright then. We will try a new exercise." She pulled out a gun and leveled it at Shepard "This gun is heavily modified. It wont kill you but it will hurt. Badly."

"What?" She fired three times. All of them hit him in the chest, taking him off his feet.

"Stand up and do it again." Shepard looked up Sarona, who was looking at him with a frown, unphased by his glare.

Finally he managed o struggle to his feet. Spitting out a wad of blood and spit at her feet, Shepard growled "Shoot."

MEMEMEME

One day later

Shepard had been given a day off of school because of his injuries. He thought that meant he got out of biotic training too, but the voices downstairs hinted otherwise.

"What do you mean? You expect him to get out of bed like that? He looks like a corpse. I'm sorry Ms. Callius, but he is not going today."

"It's not you place to decide. I'm his tutor, and he will go to practice today, tomorrow, and everyday I say he will."

Shepard groaned, but finally managed to stand up. There was no way he was going to show weakness in front of that asari bitch.

Shepard groaned, but finally managed to get out of bad, and stumbled down the stairs. "Dad, I'll go."

"Kyler..." John didn't get any further, as he noticed that both the tutor and pupil were staring him down "Fine. But do _not _attack him again. Do I make myself clear Ms. Callius?"

"I understand you Mr. Shepard, but I also hope that _you _understand that I will do whatever it takes to make your son a successful biotic." With that, Sarona turned around and left the house before John could say otherwise.

As Shepard limped past his father, John laid a hand on his son "be careful."

Shepard nodded and thanked his dad. Shepard smiled ruefully and said "if only they would reopen BAaT. I bet it would be much more humane than this." Shepard left the farmhouse to follow his tutor. Looking back, he thought that his dark joke had probably been very true. He shivered at that, and focused on getting to the clearing. It hurt enough just to try and stand.

Finally, he saw the clearing, still devoid of life, through the trees. Sarona hadn't noticed him, and was talking to someone through a comlink "Subject 42 is doing just fine. He..." She noticed him and quickly recovered "Is right here. Hi Kyler. I'm just talking to that Alliance rep. Anyway, sorry Mike, but I have to go. I'll give you the full update later." She terminated the call and turned to the human "Well what are you doing just standing there. Assume an adequate hand-to-hand stance."

Shepard bent his knees and brought his fists in front of his face. Sarona looked at him, and grumbled about graceless humans. She moved faster than Shepard could react. She swept his legs out from under him, letting his back fall on her knee, and punching him in the throat.

"Your stance looks like a brick wall without mortar to hold it up." She sighed and looked at Shepard, wheezing, and trying in vain to breath "now, assume the same stance I do."

As was beginning to become customary, Shepard struggled to stand up, and spit out blood and saliva at her feet.

MEMEMEME

Six Weeks later

It had been six weeks of brutal exercise after brutal exercise, but it was finally paying off. Shepard was able to memorize long lectures after hearing them once. His body had been battered, and beaten, but Sarona had never actually broken his body or did any lasting damage. As a result of full contact sparring, Shepard was able to disarm, incapacitate, and even kill efficiently with his hands. However, for all his training and conditioning, he still had difficulty mastering biotics. While hand-to-hand and weapons training came naturally, Shepard still had a block in his biotics. Sarona had tried to farce him to use his biotics by putting him in dangerous situations, and he did really well for that exercise. However, once he was no longer in danger, his biotics seem to become weaker, and he had trouble using even the most basic techniques. Or, at least that was what Sarona had said. In his off time, Shepard had looked up human biotics on the extranet. New biotics had to train for years to reach his proficiency, and even then, they suffered headaches, and worse. Ironically, the only time Shepard had got a headache from biotics was when he hadn't used them.

Shepard was in the clearing that had been designated for their practice. The clearing now had a small shed made from a metal frame with a blue tarp draped over the top. Inside were all manor of training devices. Mercifully, none of the colonists came to this part of the forests, because they were all afraid of the rumors about crazed biotics that haunted the clearings. He had laughed when he had heard that, because he realized that _he _was the crazed biotics in the story.

He was practicing control by lifting a tree branch, and slowly ripping off the limbs, and, keeping all the limbs levitating, pulling off each leaf. Despite the small amount of respect Sarona had shown him, she still was not against corporal punishment. In fact, he could have sworn that he sometimes caught her revealing in his pain. It was frightening, but at the same time, it encouraged him to fry harder, if only to deny his tutor the pleasure of seeing him in pain.

"Alright that's enough training for today." Shepard could only stare at Sarona. His tutor had never given him a day off. "Don't look at me like that. I'm only giving you the rest of the day off because you'll need all your strength for tomorrow. I've got somtheing extra fun planned for the sparing match." She grinned. That couldn't be good.

As Shepard was leaving the clearing, he decided to ask Sarona about something that had been bothering him for a while. "Why haven't I been given an amp yet? I know most biotics get their interface as soon as their abilities are discovered."

The asari seemed to think this over, and reaching a conclusion, simply shrugged. " True, but unlike them, you show potential as a biotic even without an amp. You are strong for a human biotic, not as strong as even the weakest asari youngling, but strong nonetheless. The Alliance wants to see if they can make a soldier capable of using biotics, even if his amp has been dampened or overheated. After getting your amp, you will use your amp as your primary source but will still be capable of falling back on your natural biotics." Silently she added 'and forcing you to use biotics without an amp will make using biotics with an amp easier', but she didn't want her pupil to be lazy because he thought he wouldn't need thins training once he got an amp.

Despite the compliment, Shepard was outraged "I'm not going to be a soldier!" He remembered a story his mother had told him about his grandfather, who had fought in the First Contact War at Sanxi. He shivered as he remembered the details. No he could never be a soldier. His father wouldn't approve even if he wanted to.

Sarona shrugged again "I don't care what you or the Alliance does, but I think they are, as you humans say, using you as a gerbil for future biotic soldiers."

MEMEMEME

"Saorna."

"Ya I'm here."

"How is our Subject doing?"

Sarona winced, not wanting to tell him about her failure. Subject 42 had not been unable to increase his biotic output for some time. "He is starting to fall behind. It's not that he is a weak biotic, his latent abilities rival those of an asari, but he seems unwilling to fully embrace his biotics." She prepared for the verbal abuse she was about to endure. This black ops wasn't known for being understanding or compassionate.

She heard the man on the other end of the comlink sigh, but what he said surprised her. "He has made astounding progress so far. He was ahead of schedule anyway, but he must make progress soon. He may be making less progress because he feels he has other options. He believes he can find a job that wont require his biotics. That is unacceptable. You must find a way to expose him to the colony, but in a way so that he doesn't know about your involvement. Watch him, and wait for the opertune moment, then, when he is most vulnerable, you will offer him a way out, and he will come to us."

"I have already begun to do so. I've spread rumors of a biotic in the woods. Once he is exposed, he will truly have no where else to go."

The comlink was terminated. At first Sarona had been hesitant to join a pro-human group, but this organization was right up her alley.

MEMEMEME

Ooh development of plot... Three guesses as to who Sarona is working for =p. Anyway, I have begun to go back and edit published chapter, so make sure to skim or reread old chapters. Sorry, I just felt that my story was a little dry by the end, and so I added some subplot. Remember to review, and tell me anything you want to see in the coming chapters.  
P.S. for anyone who thinks Sarona is acting like two different people, remember that she is a spy, and _is trying _to act like somebody else around Shepard.


	3. The Girl

Chapter 3: **The Girl**

Disclaimer: No surprises here, Mass Effect is still the property of Bioware. Can you believe that? *rolls eyes*

MEMEMEME

A few days later, Shepard was feeling down, as he did every day he didn't have biotic practice. He wasn't sure why, but every time he used his biotics, he felt his mother. Shepard both hated himself for being a biotic, but also felt cold inside whenever he did use his biotics. Damned if you do, damned if you don't

Shoving his feelings away, Shepard looked around the empty bus, he took a deep breath and decided to take his chances and sit next to Samantha, or Sam as everybody called her. She was, in his opinion, the most beautiful girl in the whole school. For that matter this whole planet, but that only amounted to this colony and its outskirts.

Sitting down, he could already feel his pulse increase, not daring to look at the person beside him, he decided the floor was a good thing to stare at.

As the bus lurched forward, Shepard finally gathered his courage "hey... uh... can you uh believe how much homework Mr. H gave us?" He stumbled through all his words. He grimaced as he replayed the words in his head. Smooth...

Sam didn't seem to mind though, she was too busy with the same predicament "Ya... I uh thought that he ya did... and stuff." Both of them were staring anywhere but the object of their affection.

"Sooo uh Kyler your really good at science right? Would you mind maybe I don't know like coming over and helping me... and like stuff?" Sam mentally slapped herself. How could she be so bold and reckless. _He was only making small talk and you've gone and invited him over. How stupid can you be?_ She looked up expecting to see him laughing at her, or angry or anything except what she saw.

Shepard was slack jawed. Had she really... did she mean... no certainly not. Slowly a shy grin started to spread across his face. "Ya I'd love to come over" he said smiling. Than added quickly "a-and help you study of course" and suddenly, both sets of eyes were glued to the floor.

Shepard decided to finally pursue the conversation "so uh would today work?" Giving what he hoped was a charming grin.

Five minutes later he was ending the call with his dad, and walking up the steel steps to Samantha's house. He entered and was unsurprised to find the house looked exactly like his and every other private house in the colony.

Sam's dad stood in the kitchen. "I'd give you a tour of the house, but I have a suspicion my daughter will want that honor. Mike by the way" he smiled extending his hand.

Shepard was glad for the distraction, both he and Sam were blushing furiously. He took the older mans hand and mumbled "Kyler, sir"

Mike just laughed "alright go ahead and 'study'". He didn't believe his Sam had invited this young man home just to study science, after all, she was one of the best students in the school.

Glad for the chance to get away from prying eyes, the two made their way up the stairs, and into Sam's room, where they stayed till 0800.

True to Mike's prediction, the textbooks were neglected in a corner of the room, where they had been set, hours earlier. They talked about their hopes and dreams, as well as the hardships they had suffered. Many conversations were cut short by an awkward comment that resulted in silence for a few minutes but they always continued to talk.

There was yet another awkward silence that passed over the room after Sam said something about children. Shepard was about to say something stupid, when Mike tapped at the door "Hey you two, dinner's on the table so I'm going to have to ask you to close the books and come downstairs." Glancing at each other, they could see the relief at the timely intervention that provided a way out from the unwanted conversation that was sure to ensue.

Dinner passed with minimal conversations and what little did occur was usually led by Mike, but often short lived, as one of the kids would say something embarrassing and the conversation would stop. Shepard was caught stealing a glance at Sam, yet again and stared at his now empty plate, wishing he could ask for a third helping without seeming like a glutton. _Seriously, this whole secret biotic thing is really getting irritating right about now._

Finally Mike offered a reprieve from Shepard's self-loathing thoughts. "Kyler you go get your stuff, I'll give you a ride" Sam started clearing the dishes, but Mike shook his head "I think I can manage to clean up here by myself honey," flashing her a knowing grin.

Shepard thanked Sam and her dad for dinner but refused the ride saying "Nah, I need some fresh air anyway."

Sam needlessly followed Shepard up the stairs, and into her room as he collected his schoolbag, and headed out the front door, thanking Mike for the fabulous dinner.

As he began to leave, he heard Sam rush out of the house and stop in front of him awkwardly. They just stared at each other for a little while, before they both leaned in. Their lips came together roughly, but Shepard didn't mind as he dropped his bag and leaned in more to wrap her in a full embrace. He put his hands on her upper back, and she embraced his waist. After what seemed like ages, they finally let go.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow at school" Shepard said breathlessly. _Did that really just happen?_

"Ya" Sam breathed, just as out of breath as he was.

MEMEMEME

Looking up at the now darkened sky, he could see the thousands of stars that served as his only source of light. He tried to think of an excuse to give his teacher when he got to school tomorrowwithout his homework, but his mind continuously returned to Sam.

Why was he so clumsy around her? Sure he'd had other girlfriends before, but he'd always managed to keep some measure of self-control. But around _her, _he was constantly making a fool of himself. _Maybe this is what it is to love. _Oh he'd certainly felt the jitters whenever he was around a cute girl, but never as bad as when he was around Sam. She was beutiful, smart, and had an absolutely adorable of habit of wringing her hands whenever she was nervous or explaining things.

Never let it be said the Kyler Shepard was dense, but it finally hit him _she was almost always ringing her hands! And it's not like she was always explaining things to him. _This new observation, coupled with the kiss he'd shared moments ago only served to heighten his nervousness. _What if I'm not good enough for her? What if I say something _really _stupid? _A thousand terrible situations passed through his mind, but one in particular sent a shiver of dread and the now-familiar feeling of self-loathing in his gut_. What if she finds out I'm a biotic_? He knew that would be the worst possibility. He didn't know if he could live with himself if she found out and left him because of it. Once again, Shepard found himself cursing his _ability_. Why did he have to suffer because of that damned ezo leak? The more he thought about it, the more determined he became not to let out his secret, but at the same time, he found himself cursing his very existence. It wasn't fair. It just wasn't fair.

MEMEMEME

Sarona had set up lights and obstacles in the clearing, but she looked absolutely furious. "Where have you been? If you think that staying out late will get you out of sparring..."

She continued to rant for while, but Shepard didn't pay much attention. He was to busy thinking about Sam. He had finally decided that he shouldn't worry about being exposed as a biotic. It wasn't like someone could just look at him and see the nodes buried under his skin. And even if he was exposed, he would have to hope that Sam would still love him. _What the hell, I'm already thinking about how she loves me! Calm down Kyler, it was only one kiss. That could mean any number of things._

Finally, Sarona snapped him out of his reverie. "What are you thinking about?"

"N-nothing."

"Sure. Now assume a ready stance!" He snapped to it. Biotic energy flowed around him. It was calmer than the other times he summoned his biotics. He was able to focus on the task, without worrying about what others would think, because Sam loved him, and that was enough.

Sarona stepped forward aggressively, and let lose a warp field. Tendrils of energy wrapped around him, the warp dissipated as it came into contact with the shield. Sarona smiled, maybe she wouldn't have to find a way to expose him after all. His biotic levels were higher than before. He must have accepted who he is.

Biotics flashed and sparked between them. Shepard remained defensive, rarely letting out weak warps, and even small singularity traps. Sarona became increasingly agitated that he was failing to attack. Finally, one of her singularities caught Shepard off guard, and he fell the the ground. He rolled out of the way, but an exploding warp sent him flying into one of the Nikata trees. The wood began to crack, as he was pinned to the tree by a very irate asari.

"What the hell are you doing. Your biotic levels finaly increase, and you cant even attack me? All you did during that entire round was put up barrier after barrier. It did you no good. If you don't fight, you will lose, sooner rather than later."

Shepard was unable to form any words with Sarona pinning him against the tree with a powerful maintained push, but that didn't deter the asari from yelling. Finally she let up the pressure. "Speak" she ordered "now."

Catching his breath, he glared up at her. He was really starting to hate her. "Go to hell"

Sarona sighed but her gaze began to soften slightly. "I'm sorry Kyler" he was surprised. She had never apologized for anything. "It's just that you finally build up a powerful biotic field, and all you did was evade me." He really was shocked. This wasn't like her at all. "It's just that you made peace with yourself, but it was as if all my training did nothing. You still failed to hurt me."

Shepard thought about that for a little while. He had found an anchor, and he toyed with the idea of telling her about Sam. _It's not like she would disapprove. Asari are very open with the sexuality anyway. _He took a deep breath, and began to tell his tutor about Sam. At first she looked angry, then she began to smile. She even went so far as to release her iron grasp on him, and sit with him on the red dirt. After telling her about his kiss, and thoughts afterwords, Sarona was grinning madly.

Finally Sarona nodded her head. "I'm very happy for you Kyler. And like you said, I'm sure that even if she found out you are a biotic, ahe would continue to love you. She sounds like a very nice girl. Take a few days off from training. You'll still have three hours of training, but take Fridays and Saturdays off. Spend time with Sam. After all, it's not like your going to leave Mindoir anytime soon."

Shepard smiled, and looked at his tutor with respect. _So their is a person under that cold exterior_. What she said next surprised him even more.

"Oh and by the way, take the rest of tonight off. Consider it a congratulations present.

He smiled and shook his head "T-thanks. Really thats nice Sarona. Thanks." He turned and left the clearing. He was actually starting to like the woman underneath the cold tutor exterior.

As soon as Shepard was out of earshot, Sarona established a secure connection; _He _needed to know about this.

"Saorna? This had better be good, I'm very busy at the moment."

She knew that didn't mean much. He was always busy. "You'll want to hear this. An update on Subject 42. I believe I have found a way to expose him, but I am unsure as to how to proceed."

"Ah very good. Send me the information, and I'll get some of my people to send you some ideas and tips on to how to procured." She heard a ding over the comlink as he got her message. "Yes, this will do very nicely. Remember, this Sam is expendable. It may even be safer to just get rid of her now."

"No, I think I may have an idea, but I am unsure how to impliment it."

He made a sound of acknowledgment. She knew he would be pleased. And even if it meant she wouldn't kill anyone, she would still love to bring her plan to fruition.

MEMEMEME

Well thats it for the third chapter. I'm not very good at expressing romance, so the more honest the review, the more welcome it is. The next chapter is almost all romance, so please, review quickly so I can encorperate all your ideas into the next chapter.


	4. The Fair

Chapter 4: **The Fair**

Disclaimer: I made this fascinating discovery a little while ago. Bioware owns Mass Effect, and all related content. Come on do I really have to say it again.

MEMEMEME

Sam stole a glance at the clock again. Still eight minutes and twenty-four seconds till school got out. She couldn't wait, Shepard had finally asked her out on a date. He had taken his sweet time. All her friends had surrounded her at lunch and giggled and talked about what she and _her _Shepard would do tonight.

Finally the bell rang, and Mrs. M finally said the first interesting thing since the lecture began "alright that's it for today, see you all after spring break."

All the students rushed out of the class, eager to get away from anything school-related. Sam skipped towards Shepard, who wore a shy smile. "Hey Sam, you ready to go somewhere?"

She answered by throwing her arms around his neck.

He returned the embrace, and spun her around refusing to let go of her. Finally he looked down at her lovingly and asked "So what do you want to do? And don't say shopping." He rolled his eyes as he finally set her down. He remembered his last girlfriend, she had lived for shopping. He hadn't been too interested in her, and the feeling had obviously been mutual. Not like how he felt with Sam. She was perfect.

"Well, they do have that small fair out near old man Whitson's house. They have some rides and other attractions."

He nodded "Ya it's only a fifteen minute walk, sure let's go." He looked off in the distance as he imagined what they might do at the fair. She grinned. "What?... _What_?" He wiped his face to make sure he didn't have anything on it.

Her grin only widened "You're so cute when you space off like that." Shepard couldn't help himself, as a the same crazy grin spread across his own face.

He held out hand and did a mock bow "Shall we?"

Sam slapped his chest and rolled her eyes, but quickly accepted his hand "Yes let's." Both of them smiled dumbly, oblivious to everything else besides each other.

Since school had just released a torrent of teenagers into the colony, Shepard and Sam were walking in a large group of people, all heading towards the fair. Some people were by themselves, or with their parents, but most people, like Shepard and Sam were holding hands and talking to their partners, talking about their relationship, and what they would do when they got to the fair.

Although Shepard had never "officially" asked Sam out, it was generally accepted that they were a couple at school. The girls giggled and smiled around Sam, and the guys laughed and hit Shepard on the back, asking when they were going to 'do the deed' and betting on when they would 'do it'. Safe money was on never, since Shepard wasn't pushy enough, and Sam wasn't dirty enough, but that didn't deter many people from placing bets. Since people rarely gave them any alone time at school, this time to talk with each other was a blessing neither of them wasted. However, because both of them were truly nerds at heart, many of their conversations revolved around school, or what they wanted to do with their lives. Sam wanted to become a doctor at the local hospital, and Shepard wanted to become an engineer. While his interests were focused on more advanced technology such as space ships, he had resigned himself to repairing farm equipment and anything that broke around town. In all honesty, the colony was in desperate need a new engineer. The current one was just a bit... eccentric.

Finally, the Ferris wheel came into view around the corner, and the group began to walk just a bit faster in anticipation.

Shepard turned to Sam and asked "so what do you wanna to do first?"

"Oh... well...heh see I like to collect the prizes at fairs, so I uh kinda wanted to go to the game booths." She looked at the ground and let go of his hand. Convincing herself that he would think she was stupid, or that he would laugh at her.

Instead he grabbed her hand again and said "What's so wrong about that? It's cute." Blushing slightly at the last part. _Oh ya _real _smooth. I can't believe I just said that._

She blushed as well _he thinks I'm cute! _"Well my dad says it's a waste of credits."

Shepard smiled shyly and managed to say "well then are you ready to waste some credits?" He asked, activating his omni-tool.

They walked hand-in-hand through the flimsy temporary archway, and into the fair in a flurry if tickets, rides, prizes, and affection.

Both of them knew they had gone way beyone their 1000 curfew, as it was probably getting close to 1200, but they didn't pay much attention to the time. They had decided to enjoy the moment, and to hell with the consequences.

As it turned out, Sam was actually really good at winning prizes at the booth, and her success showed. Leaving Shepard to carry a small mountain of fuzzy animals that originated on Earth. So much so, that they had rented a locker to store all the stuff. After all, he would do anything for Sam, but he still had his ego tho think about, and there was no way he was going to embarrass himself by carrying all those toys around.

"Come on I want to go to one more booth, and then go on the Ferris-wheel. Please?"

Shepard wouldn't have refused, even if he had been capable of refusing her enthusiasm. He was glad that he was able to give her such a good time. In some weird way, it gave him a very satisfied feeling, and gave him something to be proud of. Sam looped her arm through Shepard's, and dragged him over to the booths. As they passed an older looking booth, the man shouted "five credits for three shots, make one in and win a prize! Three in and get your pick of the special prizes! Only five credits!"

Sam tried to pull Shepard along, but she saw the look on his face, and wanted nothing to do with it. The last time She had seen that look, they had flooded the school basment, then they had been fined and suspended from school.

Sam kept trying to pull Shepard aside, but he refused to budge. "Here you go." He said transferring the credits to the mans omni-tool.

Sam finally managed to pull him aside "What are you doing, the rings are obviously rigged."

Shepard grinned, and she knew that whatever he said would only lead to disaster. She had seen it many times before in the few days they'd been together. "that's what makes it fun."

Sam looked down to hide her own grin, and shook her head. _Shepard is sooo stubborn!_

_Ya but thats what makes him so cute._

_Great, now I'm arguing with myself over Kylers' actions. I should have known I was insane when I agreed to go out with him._

"Here you are young sir" the man handed him three old rubber balls smugly. As soon as Shepard's back was turned, she stuck her tongue out at him, but couldn't help but smile.

Shepard looked at the balls and his grin widened. Despite having lead in them, the balls were a dark blue. This man really had it coming

Shepard didn't bother aiming. Keeping one hand concealed in his jacket pocket, he through the ball, and used his hand in pocket to guide the ball into the first ring with his biotics. If anyone looked carefully, they would have seen a blue glow from inside his pocket, but would likely have dismissed it as his omni-tool. The smirk slowly dried on the other mans face as he saw the first ball go in perfectly, then a second and a third.

Shepard smiled triumphantly. Pointing quickly at a large, oddly colored tiger he said "I'll take that one please."

Claiming yet another prize he eagerly grabbed Sam's hand and headed towards the Ferris wheel. He was now mentally slapping himself. _Stupid, she could have seen you use your biotics. _He knew that as smart as Sam was, she held that basic bigotry against biotics, and he wasn't ready to see if she could accept him as a biotic.

She just looked perplxed "how did you...?" Her voice trailed off as she shook her head.

Between the two of them, they only had three tickets left, but the Carine had still let them on the ride. Mindoir was still so small they were able to thank him by name.

Although they had both been eager to get on the ride, an akward silence passed between them as they looked around them. They were over sixty feet in the air. Ten feet from the nearest person. On a small bench. Alone.

Finally, on the fifth pass, the Ferris wheel stopped to let the passengers at the bottom off. Shepard looked down and saw that they were on the highest point of the fair, Shepard turned to the girl beside him and gave her an innocent smile. Slowly she leaned in and gave him a chaste kiss on the cheek. He was surprised, bur reacted quickly. This time, wrapping his arm possessively around the cute girlish body as their lips came crashing together. Shepard closed his eyes, and breathed in her scent, trying to memorize every detail of this moment. Eventually, they were forced apart by the need for air. Both of them were glowing, looking into each others eyes, they smiled contently. Nothing could ruin this moment for the two of them. It was too perfect for anything else to matter. School, biotics training, their fathers wrath when they got home, they would hardly have noticed if aliens came to attack the colony at that moment.

MEMEMEME

"Sarona, are you finally ready to implement you plan? The Man will not wait forever"

It wasn't her boss, so Sarona rarely bothered to accept these calls from her subordinates, but this one was important. "Yes, I think their relationship is far enough along. Prepare to initiate part 1. Tell your men to be there at the correct time, and to start once they see Subject 42 approaching."

Sarona terminated the call before he could respond. This female with Shepard may give him joy for now, but if something happened to her, Shepard would be lost. And his potential ruined. Better get the heartache over with now, so she could mold his futur as our own. This would shape Shepard into a man, and a truly powerful biotic. She couldn't wait to teach a human biotic as an equal. They were so weak and high strung. But she sould make Shepard strong, and mold him through fire.

MEMEMEME

I'll be perfectly honest, this chapter is in my mind, terrible. I'd love some feedback to tell me how to improve my romance scenes, because honestly, I think they suck. Granted this is my first fanfic, and practice makes permanent (not perfect) so please, I appreciate all reviews, especially the "cruel" ones. The only part I really liked was the ending. Hope you enjoy the next chapter. It all goes downhill from there.


	5. The Blunder

Chapter 5: **The Blunder**

Disclaimer: If you really want to read it, then go to my other four chapter. They'll tell you that Bioware does in fact own Mass Effect and all related content

MEMEMEME

"He's coming. Get ready boys."

Shepard was in high spirits. Not even the stern warning his father had given him about returning so late could phase him. Shepard was so caught up in the present moment that nothing could have prepared him for what was to come.

And best of all, it was finally spring break, so no school for two weeks. He planned to spend as much time with Sam as possible.

He headed to their usually meeting spot, a little grove on the plain surrounded by large ten-foot rocks off the winding country road. He and Sam usually met up with here to plan their next activity, or eat lunch, or any one of the numerous things new couples did together. He smiled lazily as he tried, and failed, to remember how many times thay had come here to escape the pressures at school during lunch and after class. As he approached the rock formations, he noticed a parked hover car, but figured it was just another couple that had found this spot. He and Sam might need to find a new place.

His smile disappeared as soon as he heard her scream "No! Let me go! Let me go!" Sam.

"Hold her down."

Like an idiot, Shepard ran into the ring of rocks, threatening the gang to let her go. Only then did he take in the severity of the situation. Sam was on the ground curled up in a ball, and five men, all at least his age, were armed with knives and surrounded her. One of them had taken off his belt, but hadn't gone any further

"Or what?" The leader stepped forward "what are you going to do little Kyler?" The gang laughed at the poor love-struck sixteen year old threatening them without so much as a weapon.

The leader stepped forward and stabbed at him, but Shepard's training took hold. Shifting into an asari defensive stance, he blocked the older man, and brought an elbow to his attackers jaw, knocking him to the ground. He looked down at the bastard laying in the dust. "Don't get up."

Gasping for air he managed to growl "Kill the little bastard. Slowly." His gang moved to do just that.

Shepard resumed the stance, and fought them off as best he could, disarming one, and punching another in the nose. After a few seconds however, it was over. Before Shepard could bring his hands back up to block, one of the men wrapped his leg around Shepard's. He felt the air whoosh out his lungs as he hit the ground, hard. The gang retaliated, kicking him mercilessly while he tried to protect his face, exposing his stomach. Looking at Sam, still on the ground he remembered the words of his tutor.

_He was in the clearing where they always trained. Sarona was shaking her head in disappointment. He could tell she was debating on what form his punishment would take._

_''Again, do it again.''_

_He was trying to lift a rock and keep it suspended for as long as he could. _

_The rock quivered and fell once more._

_''You are never going to get this if you refuse to to accept that you are a biotic. You're not comfortable with who you really are, but you will never feel whole if you continue to deny that you _are_a biotic. Relax and let it take over. Embrace the truth, and you will be whole. Feel your rebirth, and embrace eternity.''_

A clicking sound brought him back the the present. He was looking at the end of a Kessler I pistol. He saw it and felt his muscle seize up. If his muscles were doing that why did a sense of calm pass over him? _Relax and let it take over_. He saw the man's finger pull the trigger, and felt a searing pain consume his left shoulder.

The man smiled at Shepard's prone body, writhing in pain at his feet. He aimed his gun again, this time to kill. That asari had told him not to kill the boy, but he wouldn't stop at anything to get at the girl, still in shock behind him. At Shepard was in his way. He continued to smile as he pulled the trigger one last time. He felt the gun fire, but the bullet never hit. Shepard began to glow a dark blue, and the bullet simply stopped in a flash of biotics.

Shepard felt... good. Sure his arm hurt and he couldn't move it, and his body was bruising over, but still he felt _good_. This must be what Sarona had said about feeling whole. He raised his hand and saw the man with the gun fly back with a satisfying crunch of bone as he hit one of the large rocks surrounding the area.

Shepard rose, but the rest of the gang was too terrified to do anything as all four of them were lifted in the air, and simultaneously sent flying as well.

He heard Sam whimper, he kept an eye on the gang, who had yet to move, and staggered over to comfort her. It was the last thing he should have done.

As soon as he got close, Sam screamed and struggled to her feet and ran "s-stay away from me you freak!"

Shepard wanted to run after her, but he was too shocked_. She hats me. she thinks I'm a freak. _He felt the sense of being complete and at peace pass. He just felt empty. In capable of feeling.

The man with the gun finally sat up dizzily, grinning through bloody teeth "ouch. You really got screwed over on that one."

The man continued to laugh. Shepard thought he couldn't feel. He had been wrong. Very wrong. He felt anger. Anger at this gang that forced him to reveal his secret, anger at Sam for hating him, and anger at humanity for their narrow view of things. But for once, he didn't feel anger at himself. He had tasted what being a biotic meant, and he wasn't willing to change. He was a biotic, and anyone who had a problem with it could go hang themselves for all he cared.

He was still thinking when a hoarse laugh pierced his thoughts, and returned him to the present. He felt his rage boil over as he looked at the human bleeding on the ground. He didn't deserve to live. Shepard raised his hand and looked in the man's eyes. He saw fear dart through them. He didn't feel complete as the warp field tore through mans body, but he did feel justified.

The gang members watched in horror as their leaders body shuddered, and began to disintegrate. Most found their heels and ran, but one man took to his knee, begging for his life.

Shepard didn't want excuses. He wanted blood, and he would be sated. Shepard lifted the man into the air, and brought him crashing to the ground on top of one of the rock spires. He looked back to the hover car. Two people were trying to get in as fast as they could. Shepard growled and sent a shockwave towards them. The car fliped over, and continued to roll across the plains, crushing the occupants. To make sure, Shepard roared, and sent a warp field at the exposed underbelly of the vehicle. The strength of the warp pieced through the armor on the car, until it hit the engine. Shepard gave a feral grin as flames leapt from the destruction.

He turned to see the remaining two people running in opposite directions. He summoned his biotics and charged, bracing his body in a cocoon of energy to keep his bones from snapping, he charged at a fraction of the speed of light.

The man looked back as he was knocked back. Shepard stood over him, he could see that the mans ribs had been cracked along with his spine, but he was in too much shock to understan he was already dead. He was yelling and screaming at Shepard, offering excuses and apologies, while simultaneously cursing him. Shepard would have pitied the man, if he had been capable of feeling such emotions at the moment. Shepard remembered one of the more exotic techniques Sarona had shown him. One that was incredibly brutal, and known to only a few asari. Something few outside of her 'genetic defect' were capable of. Reave.

Shepard didn't physicaly do anything, but he and the gangster on the ground glowed the same light purple. Dark tendrils of energy leapt from Shepard, and latched themselves onto the man. The gangster screamed profanity and trained to crawl away, but the tendrils anchored him down. Finally, the mans body began to deteriorate at an alarming rate. by fifteen seconds, it looked like little more than a skeleton with skin.

Shepard staggered back and fell to his knees. As his consciousness began to fade, he saw the last man lifted into the air. A purple asari emerged from behind a rock and walked up to the man. She smiled as her eyes turned solid black. Although Sarona didn't visibly do anything the man began to shriek. His entire nervous system began to shut down, and finally his body ceased its struggle, an occasional twitch was the only sign that he had ever been alive.

Finally the asari began to run towards Shepard. He had no wounds, his shoulder having healed from the reave, but he was drained. He had killed four men, one with reave, wich recquired the user to focus in a way that only the Ardat Yakshi knew how. And he had done it, without so much as an amp.

MEMEMEME

Shepard awoke and only had time to see Sarona and his dad hovering over him in his room before a wave of dizziness overcame him.

"Quite, go back to sleep. You'll be okay in a little while. Here drink this." Sarona handed him of a cup of sweat smelling liquid.

Shepard managed to take a few sips of the tea before the herbs and fatigue took hold as he fell back on the pillows.

"How is he?" Sarona looked up at Kyler's father, who was obviously worried, and had his arms crossed over his chest.

"He'll be okay soon John, but he exceeded the amount of biotics he should technically be able to use. Many _asrai _children his age, even those with amps, would die if they tried to do what he just did, and even if they did survive, they would suffer severe mental degradation. The fact that he is able to survive speaks volumes about his abilities. They are manifesting much faster than we ever anticipated. I'll need to step up his training." She didn't bother telling him that he had also used a technique she had never heard of before.

John nodded his head, still worried. "When will he wake up?"

Sarona shifted her eyes back to Shepard "When he has had time to recover." After a short pause she sighed "A few days maybe? Difficult to tell with this sort of thing. It varies from person to person."

He nodded again and left the room, saying somthing about making a batch of tea. Sarona continued to sit in her chair and meditate on the recent development. She was surprised that he had been able to do what he had done at all, let alone survive it; what worried her though was what happened after he lost consciousness, and what was happening right now.

She hadn't realized it at first, but he was actually absorbing energy from everything around him. Unlike reave, such a technique wouldn't kill a person, but if left in close proximity, they would begin to feel tired, and even lose consciousness. Eventually the victim _might _die, but it would take a lone time. She looked at his nightstand. That nikata tree was very near dead. Shepard was actually draining energy from all living things around him, and using it to revive himself. She had no doubt that it was the only reason he was able to survive.

Still, Shepard's vitals were dropping, and he could possibly die if she didn't do something. Sarona wanted to meld with Shepard in order to heal him, and make sure he survived, but even mind melds, a weaker form of the Union, were dangerous for Ardat Yakshi. She sighed and hoped he would be able to survive despite this on his own. She didn't want to risk a meld when it could very likely kill him. As her employers had said, Shepard really was an interesting specimen, but he wasn't invincible. She could accidentallykill him, but she didn't have a whole lot of time. If she did nothing he could die, but there was also the danger that her helping him could also kill him. She finally lost her calm and began pacing with her hand accross her chin. His heartbeat was slowly dropping. _Thank the goddess John left to make some tea. I can't imagine trying to calm that man if he saw where his son's vitals are._

_Well what is the worst case if I do meld with him? He dies. And if I don't? He can still die. Well that's just wonderful. There has to be a safe way to heal him. Think Sarona, what do you know about Kyler? He's resistant to biotics, and has powerful mental barriers and?... he can absorb energy!..._

MEMEMEME

Shepard opened his eyes. He looked out the open window, and saw the dark sky, with countless pinpricks of light. Usually he was comforted by looking up at the rest of the universe at night, but now it just made him feel insignificant and small. He had known that Sam would be frightened of him if she discovered he was a biotic, but it didn't make him feel any better. Her last words still stung as he replayed them over and over in his head. He supposed that if she had seen what happened after she left, she would have real reason to be afraid of him. It didn't make him feel any better knowing she did have a reason to feel her, but he still felt pity for himself.

_This isn't healthy. _His self-pity was making him even more depressed_. _Shepard managed to think of the fight he had had with the gang. Despite being trained in some of the best hand-to-hand tactics, his mundane abilities had failed. He began to feel accomplishment at what he had done. How easily he had killed. It had come naturally. _What the hell am I? Murder shouldn't be so easy._

_But it wasn't murder, it was self-defense. _

_Was it? I could have let them run away. Instead, I chased down each one, and murdered them. _He remembered the last man he had killed, and how he had wanted to suffer. To see him in as much physical pain as he had been in emotional pain. He shuddered as he thoughts kept returning to how he had sucked the life out of a human being, a sentient being. A man with as much right to live as he did. No, he had even more of a right to live, Shepard doubted the man he had killed had ever murdered someone. He had killed four, and went so far as to torture one of them to death.

With a sigh, Shepard leaned into his pillows and looked at his nightstand. He always kept an nikata tree sapling there because he loved the sweet smell it made, but when he looked at it, he gasped. The bark was black and withered, and the leaves had all fallen off and dried up in the red soil.

He looked away quickley and forced his thoughts to return to Sam. _Hopefully she wont tell anyone I'm a biotic_. It was wishful thinking, but he wanted something good to think about. He needed to see her and ask her not to tell anyone. _Might as well get it over with. _His attempt to sit up was rewarded with a spasms throughout his body. Falling back on the pillows with a groan, he held his stomach as what felt like an electric current passed through his body. Talking to Sam would have to wait. She was probably already asleep anyway.

Surprisingly, Shepard didn't dream about what had happened with Sam. He woke up many times during the night, and could only remember that he was terrified of whatever the dream was about, but he could never quite remember what it was about. The only thing he could remember was that it had something to do with his mother's death. He saw scientists with needles, and a three headed dog from mythology, but couldn't remember what they had been doing, and as for the dreams themselves... they seemed almost... familiar. He had trouble remembering his mother, so it made sense that he would make things up about her right? So why did he wake up so frightened?

MEMEMEME

It was probably the stupidest thing she had done in a long time, but Sarona had done it. His vitals had been dropping, and he may have died if she hadn't, but it worked out just fine. She had opened herself to a mind meld, but hadn't connected herself to Shepard, but in that state, he had been able to feed off her energy. She just hopped he wouldn't have any side effects. In a usual mind meld, partners would share information, and it had been something like a one-way mind meld, so she didn't know if he had seen anything. He might have found out who she really was, or found out one of her employers secrets. The Man would have her head if Shepard found out how he was being used.

Her comlink rang and she looked at the screen. It had to be Him, nobody else encrypted their caller ID that much. "Sarona Callius." She answered

"Sarona" she heard him take a long drag from his cigarette "am I reading this report right? Your plan nearly got Subject 42 killed. And I am told that Shepard's vitals only recently began to return to normal."

He was unusually calm for nearly having one of his test subject die. And how the hells did he know about how Shepards vitals were doing now anyway? She'd sent that report out an hour ago. "Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that."

"Oh?"

"The good news is that it looks like he will survive. And his survival is related to something else I wanted to talk to you about. The gang members were untrustworthy. They shot Shep... Err, Subject 42, and nearly killed him. He killed three of them with biotics, and he actually reaved the health from another."

He gracefully ignored her slip up. "I was under the impression that only _your _kind could do that."

"I thought so too. Even more disturbing is that after losing consciousness, he began to surround himself in a weak biotic field that stripped the energy of everything around him, even killing some of the grass around him."

"Hmm. This is an interesting development. I've never heard of such a biotic ability. And if your plan worked out, he has nowhere left to turn, but to us."

"Yes. Unfortunately, I believe that his new ability will also cause him to fear his biotics. I will try to comfort him, but he did just kill four men, and found he has the ability to suck the life out of everything around him."

"See to it that you do. He has become invaluable. Contact me again when you are ready to initiate part 2 of your plan. I would recommend doing this after he is comfortable with his biotics. Good luck Sarona, don't fail me."

MEMEMEME

Ok I know I said I wouldn't heavily revise any of the chapters, but that was a BIG lie. If you haven't already, reread all the chapters before this to get the new story. I mostly added sub-plot, but the rest may not make sense to you if you don't reread them. Any way, just so you know you three people who ccommented on this chapter, as soon as I got your reviews, I spent the whole night revising my book. Hope you enjoy this version. Sorry if I took out anything you like, but I mostly just added stuff. As always, I feel a sense of accomplishment when you leave a review, so please be sure to press the little link down below. Thanks for reading this at the least, I think it's turning out to be a good story so far.


	6. One Of The Haunted

Chapter 6: **One Of The ****Haunted**

Disclaimer: Mass Effect is owned by the people of Bioware. Lucky bastards.

Anyway, if you started reading this story before July 29 2010, you should go back, and reread the story. I mad heavy revisions, and the rest of the story will not make much sense if you don't.

MEMEMEME

It had taken four days, but Shepard could finally stand up without seeing black spots dance in front of his eyes. Swinging his legs over the side of the bed, Shepard managed to keep himself up by leaning into the wall.

Finally Shepard managed to pull on some new clothes, and headed down the stairs. Sarona was still there, sipping some coffee with his dad in the kitchen. Smiling weakly, he gratefully accepted the offered cup of coffee Sarona handed him.

Sarona gave Shepard a few minutes to get his bearings before she got to business "Your biotics seem to be manifesting faster than we anticipated, and in a different way than we anticipated. Normally I'd intensify your training, but it's your choice this time. You could become a... powerful biotic, or you can just ask me to teach you how to hide your biotics. You might still be able to salvage you old life." The Man would have her head if he knew she offered this to her, but she needed to get his trusts, and honestly, she had to have him want to become a powerful biotic, and she couldn't force him to do that.

Shepard nodded his head slowley. Everything was so unfocused, and he had trouble concentrating. But if he had heard her right, Sarona was giving him an out. Obviously he could never convince Sam that he wasn't a biotic, she had _seen _him use his biotics, but there were no other witnesses, and if Sarona taught him to hide his biotics, he could blend into society like nothing had ever happened. So, his options came down to dedicating his life to biotics, or trying to get back his old life. He wasn't sure what he wanted. He could kill someone just by thinking about it, and that kind of power amazed him, but also frightened him. He wasn't sure he wanted that much responsibility. On the other hand, he had always been living a lie, and ignorance is bliss...

Sam's ghost kept returning to torture his thoughts._"Stay away from me you freak."_ _Shit, I love her. How could she do this to me? She's probably told everyone I'm a biotic too. Dammit._

Sarona noticed how tense Shepard was and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder "Come on" her voice was surprisingly tender. "Let's meditate. It will help you center yourself."

Shepard was surprised to find the concern in her voice, and let himself assume the lotus position in the living room, and dove into the meditation, the now familiar wisps of bark blue energy surrounded mentor and pupil. He had sat on the metal floor until Sarona had finally left to do some errands.

John was worried for his son. He was glad when Kyler finally stood up, and began to look human again, but his words were a cold reminder.

_Kyler looked at the ground '' hey dad, I'm going to go for a walk. Be back late.''_

That was hours ago, and it was now getting dark. John decided to go out and look for his son. Something bad might have happened to him.

It only took about ten seconds to find him. Kyler was sitting on the stone wall around their house. A cocoon of biotic energy was wrapped around him. John was both relieved and worried at the same time. _That position can't be comfortable_. Shepard was sitting up rigidly, legs in full lotus, and one of his fists was planted in is palm in front of him. Even though he wasn't trained in biotics, John could tell that something was different about his son's aura from other biotics. The usually dark blue wisps around him flared occasionally with what looked like black and white electricity.

"What are you doing up there?"

"Meditating." Shepard breathed. He didn't stop his regulated breath, or even open his eyes to acknowledge his father. He was still far too deep in his meditations. He had found his answer, but was still enjoying the peace meditating brought him.

A short period of silence passed between the two with neither of them moving "how long have you been there?"

Shepard finally opened his eyes to look at his omni-tool. It was 0852. "'Bout five hours." Shepard closed his eyes and returned to his meditation.

John shook his head, and turned to go inside. He was really getting worried now. Kyler had woken up at around 1000. He had been meditating for nearly eleven hours without eating, and he knew biotics ate a lot more than regular people. Especially ones that had been using their biotics nonstop to meditate like his son had been doing. And as far as he knew, he had only moved once to go outside and meditate on the wall.

John began to microwave a large dinner for two people for Kyler. He would be famished if he didn't die out there. He left the food on the counter, and went upstairs to bed.

He finally smiled when he finally heard his son enter the house, and rip into the packaging on the food; allowing himself to finally fall asleep.

MEMEMEME

Sarona felt weird spying on him like this, but she needed to make sure Shepard would be OK. She was beginning to feel sorry for her pupil. He was being forced into making a decision because of the circumstances that _she _had created. She had thought she was above such emotions, but she was starting to feel guilt. She had heard of asari justicars who would meditate for days on end, but never a human, and definitely not one so young. Most humans were too stupid and reckless to slow down. Then again, he had been pretty reckless when fighting that gang, so maybe he wasn't too different from most humans. Still she worried about him, because for all his meditating, Shepard hadn't eaten anything all day, and very little in the days prior because he had been bedridden.

She almost hoped to believe Shepard would try to get his old life back, but there really was very little chance of that happening. Shepard would fight with every ounce of his being, and he wouldn't turn his back on anything. And she was pretty sure he would feel like giving up on his biotics would be turning his back on them.

Maybe once this was all over, she could apologise for what she had done to him. And even if he didn't accept her apology, at least she would have a clear conscious.

She gave a sigh of relief as Shepard finally followed his father into their house. His father really cared about Kyler's well-being, and he was a good man; she really wished she hadn't begun to mess up their life. _But if anyone can get Kyler to finally eat something it would be him. It's not good for him to use a biotic meditation without eating._

She knew her meddling in Shepards life would have consequences, but she hoped it wouldn't be too bad. After all, how badly could humans treat one of their own?

MEMEMEME

If he saw _one_ more person glare at him...

He couldn't believe it. Shepard had half hoped that Sam would not tell anyone that he was a biotic, but the stares he received as he walked down main street confirmed his suspicions.

As he was buying more seeds for his fathers fields, he heard sirens but didn't pay much attention. As he turned to leave however, one of the Alliance soldiers stopped him. Mindoir was too small a colony for a real Alliance garrison, so this soldier was really just a cop with fancy armor. "This him ma'am?"

A woman in her thirties rushed up to him "Yes, yes that's him, he forced my Toby to do it!"

Shepard was surprised at her reaction. He didn't even recognise this woman. Then he saw Toby, who was known for vandalizing things, cowering behind his mother.

"My Toby would never break a window in his right mind. He _must _have controlled him. He's a biotic you know."

The soldier looked at Shepard with something close to fear, and sighed. "As much as I would like to arrest this witch-born scum, the evidence is circumstantial at best." He glared at Shepard and added "But if you do anything against the law, or force another to do so, you will be in lock-down before you can even try to summon your voodoo magics." And just like that, they left him to his thoughts.

_So Sam has undoubtedly told everyone. _He expected he would have felt rage at her for ruining his life, but he didn't. He felt like one door in his life had slammed shut, and he was at a crossroad. Still he would have to confront her eventually, and he was sure he would feel something then. She had a lot to explain.

Shepard headed back home, but even on the country road he could still feel the stares of the farmers.

"Hey witch-born" Shepard turned to face a group of about ten kids roughly fourteen years old or so. "stay away from our town. Your not welcome here." The obvious leader sneered.

A slight feeling of sadness passed over Shepard. These boys lived in such sheltered lives. They really didn't know anything beyond the mundane confines of Mindoir. But there was an entire galaxy full of different types of people, and Shepard felt proud to be different from the average human.

Still these boys were not likely to just push off, no matter what he told them. Shepard smiled at the look of horror on the kids faces as he began to glow. For emphasis, Shepard lifted his arms and created a small singularity, twirling a small storm of rock and dirt around him. Most of the boys fled a soon as he had begun glowing, and by the time the rocks settled down, Shepard was the only one left on the road. He laughed: at the boys who were afraid of him, of his new life, and at his own fear of fully embracing the unknown. It felt good to laugh. Something he hadn't done since Sam had...

Shepard's arms grew tired as they always did whenever he had to carry the seeds home. His father was too poor to buy extra fuel for the tractor, so Shepard was constantly running between home and the market with seeds. Finally, Shepard just began to levitate the bag with his biotics. It wasn't like his secret was that secret anymore. The entire fucking colony knew he was a biotic, so he might as well use the perks that came along with it.

Shepard finally reached the barn, and told his dad he needed to take care of some things. Sarona had told him to come by her house when he was ready to resume his biotics training, whether he wanted to learn to hide his biotics, or if he wanted to continue honing his abilities. But first, he had some things to take care of at Sam's house. He knew he wouldn't be able to talk to her if she rot inside, but if he could intercept her on her way home, he could talk to her, and give her a chance to explain her actions. Then he'd decide what to do.

MEMEMEME

She couldn't believe it. She had loved Kyler, and she thought he had to, but it had all been lies. Lies and probably a lot of lies on his part.

Despite her initial reaction to finding out he was a biotic, she was grateful to Shepard for having saved her, and had sworn to herself that she would keep his secret. That is, until she looked up human biotics on the extranet. They were able to control and manipulate their victims. She had just been a puppet, and those gang members that had been about to...rape... her had probably been part of Shepards plan to make her fall for him, and 'do it' with him.

But she had been too clever, and had outwitted the trickster. Now the entire colony knew he was a biotic, and he wouldn't dare touch her. She smiled at her own inteligence and abilities for having escaped the clutches of that bastard.

Shepard saw Sam coming towards him. He couldn't believe he had killed four men, and now he was cowering behind a boulder, afraid of talking to his ex. _Now or never_he tought grimly. He stepped out from behind his cover to confront her.

Sam had been too shocked to scream. Shepard had just ambushed her. He would kill her, or worse control her. She had looked on in horror as he approached, but his words were not the voice of an evil manipulator interested only in sex. His voice cracked as he looked at her and simply asked "Why?"

She was confused for a minute. She had expected her to come at her with flashes of blue biotics and restrain her. Instead of an all powerful being, she simply saw a broken man, who wanted to know why his love had betrayed him. She finally found her voice, but was too afraid to think diplomatically, so she said the first thing that came to mind. "You-you were controling me. Manipulating me into doing what you wanted." She finally found her courage. _His somber exterior must really hide his evil ambitions. I'll show him. _"And now you come to me to try your hand again. I saw what you biotics really are on the extranet. I never really loved you, you just controlled me to!"

A dangerous spark flashed in his eyes "You think I controlled you!" He bellowed. He had never yelled at her before, and she had to admit, she was truely terrified. Unlike other men she had met and gone out with, Shepard didn't lose control when he was mad, and it was intimidating to see it. "You think it was all just mindless lust for me!" His voice cracked again, and his eyes began to fill up with water. "I loved you. I loved you." His anger began to subside, and was replace with sadness.

Sam reached out to touch his face, but he finally snapped. He glared at her and swatted her hand away "You call me a manipulator? At yet you sit here toying with my emotions. No more!" He finally turned his back on her, and began walking towards the woods.

Sam stood there until it finally hit her. He wasn't trying to manipulate her, even if he could, he hadn't. _Surely he would have done more if he was capable of complete manipulation though. He didn't lay a hand on me. _Panic siezed her as she realized she had just ruined the life of the man she loved, he was starting to get smaller and smaller as he headed towards the line of nikata trees. She managed to use her omni-tool to amplify her voice load enough that he would be able to hear her. "**Where are you going**?"

Shepard only stopped for a moment when he heard her voice. He looked over his shoulder at her for a second before walking away. "Home" he muttered. He was going 'home' in a way: he was embracing who he was.

He entered the woods, and went to Sarona's 'hut'. He had never actually been there, but he knew that he could only find peace in the challenges of mastering biotics. He was tired of all this emotional crap, and wanted to feel whole again. Wanted to feel the strain of exerting himself until he was tapped out, then pushing himself until he truly did have nothing left. It was the only thing that could quench his pain. He knew he would have to talk to Sarona about it, but she was more of a 'woman' of action then anything else. He hoped she wouldn't ask to many questions, and they could just spar. He had never looked forward to training, let alone a sparring match before, but now he couldn't wait. He wasn't enthusiastic, but he was definatly motivated.

He finally saw her hut through the nikata trees that once brought him peace. It looked unlike any building he had ever seen. Granted, he had only ever seen the colonial architecture, but it didn't make the sight any less appealing. If he wasn't so focused on training, he would have looked at it for much longer than he did. Instead he kept stride and knocked on the door.

The door opened, and Sarona took one look at him. "Yes."

He didn't quite understand "What?"

"You want to spar, right? And I said yes. I've seen the look that's in your eyes in some of my best pupils. You carry great pain, and find comfort and release in biotics. Most trainers will tell you to control your emotions, and it is important to keep them in check, but to be a truly powerful biotic, you must know when to use your emotions. I already assumed that you aren't going back to your old life. The mats are already in the next clearing."

MEMEMEME

Sarona looked down into her cold cup of tea. It had been hours since Shepard had left, but she couldn't had already sent her mission report to The Man, but she might still be able to call off part 2 of her plan. If it came to _that_, then Shepard would truly be alone. No, she had to tell The Man that it was unnecessary to do _that_, and a pointless loss of human lives. She owed at least that much to Shepard, and if she did die, he would find her datapad; in which she had written her appology and reasons for betraying him. She hoped to deliver them in person, but if the worst came to pass, then that may be impossible.

Dtill knowing what she had done to Shepard pagued her. _She _had been the cause of that haunted look in his eyes. It was because of _her _that Shepard was in pain.

Unfortunately, Sarona had found her conscious a little too late. The damage had already been done. Shepard _would _become a powerful biotic, but he would most likely lead an empty life. All her other pupils had turned out to turned out to be powerful biotics, but they had all been haunted by their loss. Her legacy was that of torment, and Shepard was her star pupil. All of her haunted had died alone on some deserted battlefield, many by their own hands. This was the life Sarona had cursed Shepard with, and it was the gift she had given him.

She wished she had never joined with that damned human black ops. Shepard would still have been manipulated, but at least it wouldn't have been by her hand, and if somebody else did it, Shepard may have had a chance to find happiness. Sarona was just to good at what she did: killing, and haunting those close to her. She was a good Ardat Yakshi, as she herself was haunted by the demons of her past, and passed her suffering on to others, but she refused to let that heal her as most of her kind would. It was what gave her strength. She just hoped her final pupil would eventually be able to find a diffrent source of strength. It was a mixed blessing with a heavy price.

Sarona finally managed to fall asleep, promising that she would do all she could to heal Shepard. She would do as much as she could to undo the damage she had done.

MEMEMEME

I feel pretty good about this chapter. It feels nice and long, and I feel that I depicted their emotions pretty well. If you disagree, make sure to leave a review, and I'll try to incorporate your ideas. Thanks for reading.


	7. Subject 42

**Chapter 7: Subject 42**

Disclaimer: Bioware owns Mass Effect, and therefore my soul.

MEMEMEME

It had been six months since Sam had exposed his secret. At the time, Shepard had been horrified by the idea of choosing between biotics and a normal life. He had only talked to Sam once since then; he had thanked her for setting him on a one way path, and that he would make the best of what he had. She had seemed to be heartbroken when he said good-bye, but had not followed him. That was good, because despite his facade, Shepard was still hurting from her betrayal, and he didn't know how he would react if she pressed the issue.

Instead of resorting to drugs to relieve stress, Shepard had found an outlet in biotics. He poured his entire being into training to be the best biotic he could possibly be. Sarona had not openly said it, but Shepard could sometimes see the surprise and approval in the asari's eyes whenever he mastered a certain exercise faster than she thought, or managed to remain standing after draining himself, and he pushed himself to see that look every week, and then to see that look everyday.

Most days, Shepard didn't bother with school. Oh he made sure he learned, but didn't bother himself about the grade. After getting an F on all his tests one week because other students accused him of reading their minds, he had given up. If he was going to be a biotic, then he was going to devout all his time to that end, and wouldn't waste time and energy on a lost cause.

Shepard's days were becoming cyclical: he would go to school to endure verbal torture from both students and teachers, go to Sarona's hut to practice biotics till it got dark, eat more food than a krogan, go to bed with a headache, and get up again in the morning on sore muscles. The cycle continued over and over with no reprieve, but he wouldn't have chosen a different life if he could. Sarona had started to open up to him, and had acted as a surrogate mother by helping him deal with his emotions. As a sparring partner, teacher, friend, and psychiatrist all in one.

As he walked back towards home, he was no longer welcome to ride the bus home, he saw the now familiar hover-car in the drive way. As he entered the house proper, however, he was surprised to see three occupants. The first two were his dad and tutor, however, the third was a man in a white lab coat who seemed far too excited.

The man rushed up to him and scanned him with an omni-tool. "fascination, truly fascinating." Shepard could tell that this man was only interested in him as a source of data, and that unnerved him, more than the strange patch on his shoulder that seemed so familiar.

"Kyler" Sarona walked up to him "this is Dr. Rex Tarin. He will be evaluating your biotics, and if you want, implanting you with your amp interface."

Shepard looked at the Doctor, then looked at the floor deep in thought.

Dr. Tarin spoke hurriedly, as if he just wanted Shepard to agree to everything so that he could study the biotic. "We, humanity I mean, have a new type of amp interface we want to test out. This one has been made specifically for you. It can not be given to any other person." The Doctor began to punctuate his words with hand motions as he continued speaking. "See it requires that the user have almost full control over their natural biotics, and this particular one is only compatible with your DNA. Also this interface..."

The Doctor continued to talk, but Shepard didn't pay attention. He had too much to think about without listening to his attempt at a sales-pitch. _If I do this I will have fully committed myself to biotics. I will have to leave Mindoir, Dad, Sarona, Sam... Sam. _The love of his life who had betrayed him because he was a biotic. She had stripped him of the chance to ever live life as a normal person again. She could, and had taken away everything he had, but she couldn't take away who he was. And he was a biotic.

John however, was obviously interested. "What exactly will his amp do? And please, speak plainly, I'm no scientist."

"Well like I said, this is a unique interface. Because Kyler is almost a natural biotic, his nervous system can take much more strain then any other human biotic. Because of this, his interface will be more powerful than others. Because he is already a powerful biotic without an amp, it is unnecessary to spend resources on actually amplifying Kyler's biotics. Rather the interface will use all its power to make activating and maintaining his biotics easier. Which brings me to another point. This interface, unlike others, isn't compatible with an external amp. This interface serves as its own amp. And because most dampening programs hack the amp and not the interface, this unique amp should serve to protect him quite well against cybernetic warfare."

John continued prodding. "So how will this amp, er interface be given to him?"

Dr Tatin began to seem nervous. "Uhh oh well you see... Um well it'll be... the-interface-will-be-grafted-like-any-other-interface-but-the-rest-is-classified-sorry." The Doctor spoke fast enough to make a salarian proud.

John seemed unconvinced, but continued to what he really wanted to know. "What will he do after you have given him the interface? The Alliance rep said he could stay here."

"Oh yes, of course, we would not dare to go back on our word. But he will have to stay with us for a week or two in order to make sure he is adapting alright and conduct tests."

_I am a biotic. To deny it would be foolish and a betrayal to myself. _John was about to press the issue, but Shepard interrupted him. "I'll do it."

Shepard looked at his father, but the older man looked away. Kyler was hurt _is he ashamed of me, or sad that I may never see him again?_

MEMEMEME  
The Next Day

Shepard woke up from his nightmares. He kept dreaming of his mother going into labor, and a three headed dog. He didn't believe in fate, but if you dreamt something night-after-night it had to mean something, right?

He pushed away the fog of dreams, and stood up too quickly, the room spun around him as he headed for the stairs, and he would have fallen if his father hadn't caught him. John groaned as he tried to keep Kyler on his feet. "Woah, you OK Kyler?"

Shepard nodded "ya, I just stood up too fast." Shepard kept his gaze fixed on the ground, remembering how his father hadn't been able to look him in the eye when he had decided to get an amp.

As if he could read his mind, John tried to sooth his son. "Kyler, I know you think I am ashamed of you, but the truth is, I'm very proud of you. You've been making your own decisions for a while now, and I always knew it would eventually lead you away from home, no matter how hard it is for me, like all parents, to say good-bye to their children. But I want you to know that I love you, and I think that you should lead your life the way you want to."

It was one of the most tender moments Shepard had had with his father, and he buried his face in his fathers chest to hide his tears. Reminiscent of times that would soon only be memory. Shepard looked up at his father through watery eyes one last time, before smiling sadly and saying his good-byes.

Shepard looked ahead glumly, and headed into the familiar woods, towards Sarona's hut. She had been one of the few people Shepard had been able to entrust, and they had forged a close bond as mentor and pupil since Sam had betrayed him. She was one of the two people he trusted in this entire galaxy.

Shepard entered the clearing, and walked slowly up her porch. He heard Sarona talking to somebody on a comlink, but couldn't hear the other persons voice.

"No, call it off. Subject 42 will be just fine without being tempered, he will be yours, and you don't need to do a thing . Part 2 is just superfluous now. And it will only be a waste of resources."

The other person said something, but Shepard could tell Sarona was relieved by the answer she got in her stance, but her voice remained cold and almost hostile.

"Yes, I'll contact you when I have an update." Sarona looked anxious to terminate her call, but Shepard couldn't tell why.

Sarona guessed that The Man wouldn't hesitate to kill people if it benefited him, and she hadn't gotten to know him too well, so she was only left with speculations, but she couldn't imagine he would kill people just for the sake of killing them.

She turned around, and saw Shapard, looking at her kindly, but also with a hint of suspicion at her conversation. He really was her prodigy. "Sarona, I just wanted to say good-bye before I left. I might never see you again, and I wanted to thank you for being there for me."

He still didn't know what she had been doing all along, or how she had been the one to ruin his life. "Kyler... Kyler here take this." She handed him a datapad. "It's my farewell, and my sincere apologies. Please, only read it once you have left Mindoir. And as a gift." she took out a knife similar to a kerambit, signifying the end of his tutelage. "You have nothing more to learn from me. You have been my best pupil, and I can now embrace you as an equal. Mrak, eas so sond mai'it e a'ya." She spoke the traditional words to truly end his apprenticeship.

"May the sea embrace you too, sister." Shepard finally placed his hand on the blade, and took it from Sarona. "It has been an honor learning from you. Good-bye."

She placed her hand over Shepard's forehead, and gave him her blessing."May Athame guide your steps, and may your enemies corpses never feed the great mother shark."

MEMEMEME

Shepard looked back at the small small colony he was leaving behind. It was nearly noon by the time Shepard had made his way the small spaceport. He had thought about saying good-bye to Sam and some of the others, but he didn't want his last memories of his time on Mindoir to be one of pain. Despite the sad situation he was in, his father and Sarona had been very accepting, and had relieved some of the discomfort he had about leaving Mindoir.

Shepard had only ever seen pictures of other worlds, and before Sam had betrayed him, he had accepted that he would stay on Mindoir's surface until he died. _But perhaps, I had already died in a way? And now I'm was being reborn; remade?_After all those times in the clearing, Sarona's teachings about Siari, and all in one, was making a lot of sense to him right now. Part of him had died, and now his life was taking on a new form. Not quite reincarnation, but not quite a permanent death either.

Shepard would be the first to admit he was nervous about taking these first steps into a new world, but that had not held him back after Sam had betrayed him, and it sure as hell wouldn't hold him back now.

When he finally arrived, Doctor Tarin was already at the space port looking agitated, and ready to leave immediately. "Kyler, you ready to go yet?"

Shepard nodded silently, but he radiated determination. The Doctors indignant tone perturbed Shepard, but he figured that just had something to do with the Doc's excitement. After_ all, I am a one-of-a-kind specimen, and would be very interesting to study. A once in a lifetime chance_. He thought wryly. _There is no way I will willingly give up _my _body for _their _experiments. Just cause or no._

Shepard followed the Doctor into the Kodiak Shuttle, and took in his surroundings. The Kodiak was bare metal, save for some hard benches in the back, a pilot seat, and a small weapons rack. Out of curiosity, he began studying the weapons. He saw a couple avenger III assault rifle, a few stinger II pistol, and a Hurricane II assault shotgun. _Not standard issue, but not to uncommon, h_e thought. The next weapon rack really unnerved him. It had a missile launcher and some yellow experimental weapon with a nuclear sign on it, but what really bothered him was that on their were also a few thunder assault rifles, and even a couple Armageddon shotguns. _None of the Alliance scientists would need to carry that much firepower. Something in not right here. _

As if to confirm his suspicions, the scientist next to him was becoming increasingly nervous. Shepard turned to him, and asked in the most uncaring way he could "What ship are we docking under?"

Dr. Tarin seemed to relax "This cruiser is the _SSV Wenham_."

"Hmph. Your ship is named after one of the last 'witches' to have been burned in Europe? I was under the distinct impression that all cruisers in the Alliance were named after cities on Earth." Shepard crossed his arms over his chest, and leaned back in his chair. Fixing a knowing glare on the scientist.

Dr. Tarin was really starting to shift uncomfortably now. He opened his mouth to lie, but just then the _Wenham's _magnetic locks attached to the shuttle, cutting the conversation short. The pilot, who had heard none of the conversation so far, got up and faced Shepard. "The captain of the ship is waiting for you on the bridge."

The pilot opened the door, but Shepard gestured for him to get out first. "On Mindoir, it is respectful for a younger person to allow all of his seniors to exit, before he does."

The pilot and scientist shrugged, and thanked Shepard for his show of respect. He smiled to himself of how well his plan had worked. As soon as their backs were turned, Shepard had swiped the Stinger II pistol from the weapons rack, and slipped it into his pocket. He hoped he wouldn't need it, but these people were posing as the Alliance, and he didn't want to be on their ship unprepared.

Finally they arrived at a large door. His two companions nodded, and gave him directions to get to the bridge. The directions brought him led him to a short Hispanic man. He had a military regulation buzz cut, but had a little stubble growing in. He turned to him and spoke coldly "Kyler Shepard. My name is Captain Matiness. I would give you a tour of the ship myself, but I'm afraid I cannot at the moment. Now we are fairly busy with Alliance business, so if you wouldn't mind heading down to the science lab to get your interface, it would be greatly... appreciated."

"Sure, but first I'd like you to tell me who your working for." The man seemed taken aback for a moment, but Shepard continued on despite his objections. "Cut the crap. This ship is _not _a registered Alliance vessels, you have non-standard items in your armory, and your crew is constantly wary of me. Somethings up."

It was probably stupid to lay all his cards on the table at once, but Shepard had never had dealt with a situation like this before. "Well well well, you are quite the observant one, aren't you? Yes, I work for a group called Cerberus, and they have a vested interest in you. Now please. Do us all a favor and try to contain yourself, or we may be forced to... restrain you." He made a motion to a couple of humans in the corner, who trained their rifles on Shepard.

Shepard had killed once before. He could do it again. He had to. Shepard glared at the captain, but did as he was told, placing his hands on the back of his head. One of the humans started patting him down. As soon as he began to get near the pocket with the pistol, Shepard elbowed the man in the gut. Activating his biotics, he threw a guard into the bulkhead, leaving a large dent. Shepard punched the man who had been searching him with a biotic punch that snapped his neck. In one fluid movement, Shepard spun around, drew his pistol, and leveled it on Matiness.

Matiness was smiling, and applauding Shepard. "My my, such a wonderful display of biotics. I can see why He would want to study you."

"Who?" Matiness kept smiling, but remained silent, Shepard kept his gun aimed, and took a step forward "Tell me who is trying to study me, or I'll blow you brains out."

Shepard was about to take another step forward, when Matiness held up his hand. "I'm afraid a can't tell you that." Shepard growled. "But- I can give you some advice."

Shepard thought about it. The captain was still smiling, so something must be up. Shepard nodded his head, signaling for him to proceed

He finally stopped smiling, and glared menacingly "For you own safety do not take one more step forward."

Shepard snorted. In his minds eye, he stepped forward and grabbed Matiness by the throat, pointing a gun at his head and threatening him again. Instead, Shepard heard a cackling noise, a second before he felt his muscles seize up as the electricity passed through his body. A smug looking captain looked down at his writhing form and tsked tsked him "I warned you. I told you you shouldn't... forward...listen to...ne...t..." Shepard couldn't hear the rest of his taunt, as a needle pierced his neck, and the world faded into darkness.

MEMEMEME  
Two Weeks Later

Shepard couldn't open his eyes, but he could feel the leather restraints strapping him to the bed biting into his bandaged wrists and ankles. He had trouble feeling his body due to the sedatives he had no doubt been given, but the pain he did feel couldn't have been from the electricity. His entire body felt as if it had gone through a meat grinder: his bones felt as if they had holes in them, and his skin didn't feel any better. He tried to block out the pain, and when he did, he realized there were sirens going off, and he could see red light passing through his eyelids.

He heard the door whoosh open, and at least two people rushed in.

"How is he doing?"

He heard a man walk to his bedside and click something on a monitor near him. "He seems to be coming around. Showing slight awareness."

"Dammit we don't have time to deal with this now. I'll radio for help, in the mean time, give him fifty milligrams of-." The man never finished his sentence as the med bay door was blasted open by a small explosion. A human and batarian entered through the smoke, guns blazing. One of the scientists managed to get in a shot that glanced of the merc's shields before being executed.

He heard a somebody whistle. "Damn, I can't believe a human survived that. He looks like he decided to go a round with a lethranak. Is it normal for humans to bleed that much?" The voice was deep, and was obviously translated. It was unnerving that the voice sounded amused that there was apparently so much blood. W_hat the hell is a lethranak anyway?And what does he mean about bandages on my body? The electricity wouldn't have made me bleed that much, if at all. _

He heard another voice, this time more human. "Well let's grab him and go. I'll radio the boss to tell him we got 'em."

Shepard felt his body being lifted, and chucked over a shoulder in a fireman hold. "I don't know, can we just pull over for a sec and knock him one? I mean he might be conscious. We both saw what he did to those two guards on the security camera, and I I don't know about you, but I don't intend to try my luck. He annihilated them without using any weapons."

"Yeah? I thought you batarians were supposed to be brave, but you do live up to your species stupidity. Look at him. Even if he is conscious, there is no way he could fight looking like that. If you hit him, he'll probably die, and then the boss would toss you sorry ass out the next airlock. Not that I'd complain mind you. All you batarians reek."

The batarian growled, but said nothing about it. "Let's just get to the bridge. Boss is waiting."

After a few minutes, Shepard felt himself being dropped to the floor unceremoniously. "Watch it! He's worth a lot to us alive." A guttural voice said. "Jarrik, contact our _employer_."

Shepard managed to squint his eyes. The bright lights on the bridge hurt to look at, and everything was hazy and unfocused. Shepard looked down at himself, and would have yelled if he was able to. His entire body was bandaged, but all the bandages on his forearms, shins, hips, and neck were now thouroughly soaked in blood. A slight orange glow was visable under the bloodied bandages, but no light was eminating from under the clean bandages.

Looking up, Shepard was able to make out a scarred batarian, and a displeased human hologram. The human looked about middle aged, and had a cigarette twined in his fingers and glass of whiskey in his other hand. Even with the holograms poor quality, it was the blue, inhuman eyes that were the most apparent feature, and seemed to take everything in at once. "Ahh Tallid," the human took a long drag of his cigarette before continuing "I hope you called to return Subject 42 to my custody. He is quite valuable to me you see. But why you deemed it necessary to attack my ship is a mystery." The human seemed calm, but his voice had an edge that demanded you obey.

The batarian seemed unphased. "If he is so valuable, I'm sure we can come to an agreement. I want no less than five million. I keep all the other colonists."

"Come now, I'm sure you can make a better offer. Tallid, if you depart this ship now, and leave Subject 42 here, you can go ahead with you invasion. We wont interfere, but you must uphold your side of the bargain."

The batarian named Tallid shook his head. "No I don't think so, he's valuable to you, and five million credits is valuable to me."

The two argued for some time, neither willing to back down. Finally the human looked down at a datapad. "Fine. here's a new deal." He smiled as Cerberus operatives stormed the bridge, weapons raised "you give us the boy, and I let you live."

Tallid snarled and ordered his mercs to open fire. Shepard was able to open his eyes a little more, but still couldn't even sit up. Shepard watched as the batarians and humans shot at each other from behind what little cover there was. The batarians started retreating down the hallway, but one of them dragged Shepard with them.

Tallid turned to the batarian already dragging Shepard away from the fight. "Telandil, take the boy, and rendezvous at the shuttle." He took cover behind a fallen crate to let his shields regenerate, and radioed one of the human mercs. "Jacob, set those explosives and get the hell over here. Helmets on men, you don't want to be exposed in case we go into zee gee."

Shepard was hoisted in the air, and carried away from the battle. He heard an explosion a few seconds later, and the sound of boots on metal as the other mercs approached. Tallid and the rest of the men finally caught up, and piled into a small landing craft.

As the shuttle took off, one of the batarians came over and inspected Shepard. "Damn Tallid, this kids if rough shape, I'm surprised he survived. Would be a pity if he died. I bet Cerberus will pay more for a living test subject than a corpse."

Tallid just grunted. "He's conscious yeah? Sedate him, and throw him into cell 38 when we dock. Keep him separate from the other captives, and always maintain a dampening field near him at all times. I don't want any surprises."

Shepard felt the familiar sting of a needle in his neck. He knew it wasn't the proper time or place, but he was starting to worry about his liver after all this was over. His system was no doubt flooded with drugs he hadn't even heard of...

MEMEMEME

I feel good about most of this chapter, but to be honest, it's not how I planned it. Originlly he escaped to Mindoir, and crashed landed. In all honesty though, I like this better, just seems more original and dramatic. Remember to review so I can get the next chapter out faster, after all, when I get a good review I'll often go and write half the chapter immediately


	8. Captive

**Chapter 8: Captive**

Shepard could finally will his eyes open, and when he did, he wished he hadn't. He was in a rudimentary steel bar cage, but he couldn't see anything else in the room. His cell was only about six and a half feet (2 meters), and only had a sleeping mat and pot for furnishings. They didn't even give him a toilet, just a pot. That was disgusting.

Shepard looked at himself, and was relieved to see that they had actually changed his bandages. Unlike his old bandages, these had been soaked in medi-gel to heal him faster. It wasn't too expensive, but it was still a surprise to see that the slavers had bothered. He also felt some sort of collar around his neck. At first he feared it was one of the slave collars, but he suspected it was a biotic disruptor to keep him from using his biotics.

He snapped his head to the left as he heard two voices down the hall. "I hope Cerberus just hand over the money for the boy. I know that dampening field will keep his biotics suppressed, but he still makes me nervous."

"You worry too much. He's probably up by now, why don't we go to his cell. I'm sure seeing the big bad biotic helpless will show you how weak all these humans are."

"Ya. Ya your right. As long as we don't damage him to much, I'm sure the boss wont mind if we borrow him for a bit." The Batarians finally came into view, both of them had their heads back, laughing cruelly as they thought of thee things they'd do to their newest prisoner.

The second Batarian said "Alright, so I'll open the cage and keep watch for any other guards while you rough 'im up, then we'll switch"

The other Batarian grunted, but kept his focus on the bandaged human, barely strong enough to stand.

"Ya, your not so tough now are ya? Let me tell you somthin', you aint never gonna get out of this cage. That's right, your going to die in here." The Batarian took a step forward, and slammed Shepard into the bars, and pinned him there with his forearm. Ya your not tough at all. Can't believe this _thing_ has the crew worried." The Batarian struck him in the gut, and when Shepard doubled over, the alien brought an armored knee to his face. Shepard fell to ground as both the aliens laughed.

"Alright you've had enough fun, I think it's my turn."

The other alien came in the cage, and lifted Shepard up by the throat, jabbing his gut. Shepard choked, and started gaping for sir, but the Batarian's cold grip restricted air flow.

After a few more seconds, Shepard felt himself blinking rapidly to keep himself conscious. Finally, the Batarian let Shepard fall to the ground in a heap of reopened wounds with a final laugh.

Shepard blinked to clear his eyes of blood, and felt his blood boil with anger. He hadn't done anything the these fucking blinks, and they decided to beat him. It wasn't even torture, at least then they would have had a good reason to give him pain, but this... this was just mindless violence. The actions of an animal, incapable of thinking.

Shepard felt his muscles tingle as his body began to glow weakly. The original Batarian looked at him with four terrified eyes, and the one still in the cage looked ready to run. Shepard struggled to his feet, but was in to much pain to stay up. The Batarian in the cage walked up, and stomped on his head, obliterating his hold on reality.

As he drifted off, he heard the aliens arguing if they should tell the boss that he had used his biotics. Apparently the collar was supposed to keep him from using even the small amount of biotics he had used.

MEMEMEME

One Day Later.

One of the few human mercs stepped up to the bridge and saluted. "Tallid, sir, the Batarians that tortured the captive have been killed, and we are ready to attack the colony. Awaiting you orders."

Tallid smiled. While many humans, such as these colonists, were weak, his human mercs knew their place, and didn't challenge command. "Good. Change our ship IFF to Alliance, and get ready to block communications."

As he expected, the colony began to hail him. He motioned for one of the humans to take the call. This merc was wearing the fatigues of an Alliance captain, and had been ordered to alleviate the concerns of any of the colonists. Officially, they were here to make a quick inspection to make sure the colony was properly protected from any Batarian attacks.

When they landed, all the humans would depart, and integrate themselves into the colony defenses. Then the ships would return to orbit, and when the ground team signaled that they had sabotaged the defense grid, the ships would bomb the planet, as shuttles went planet side to crush any resistance, and capture survivors. It was a psychological warfare tactic, but an effective one.

The Alliance wasn't stupid, but it would still take them a good three days to investigate why the planet had gone silent. Plenty of time to capture some new slaves.

MEMEMEME

Shepard woke up on the cold metal floor. He didn't know how long he had been on this ship, but it couldn't have been too long.

He constantly felt sick, though he wasn't sure why. Despite the medi-gel bandages he constantly wore, his orange scars were widening. They didn't bleed much for some reason, but every movement was painful, sending jolts up to his amp. He wasn't really sick, but the medics that had examined him had said something about a dormant part of his DNA being mutated. The only visible results of this mutation were that his eyes had lost almost all of their color, and started to glow a faint white, and his skin and paled considerably, as if he had never been exposed to sunlight.

Despite his increased metabolism, the slavers had only given him a meager amount of some sort of slop that he had refused to eat. It may have been immature and stupid, but they wanted him alive, and he wouldn't eat if they refused to give him edible food.

Shepard heard the clank-clank of armored boots on the floor, and huddled in a corner. No one had beaten him since the first time, but he wasn't about to invoke any of the slaver's wrath.

One of the Batarians came into view, with an MRE. The merc grinned as Shepard looked longingly at the package of food. "Wow, you must be really hungry. A biotic, and you haven't had any food since coming here huh?" The alien ripped open the bag, and smelled the contents. "Bet you want some, don't ya?" He laughed as Shepard nodded his head. "Mmm, it does smell good. Too bad you can't have any."

The alien continued to taunt him, but Shepard finally ignored him. It wasn't like he was going to get any food from the Batarian. From the stories he had heard, Batarians were supposed to be evil, cruel, and ruthless. He couldn't deny that these aliens fit the bill just fine, but he could say the same thing for all the humans he had met here too.

Apparently the Batarian found entertainment in not only wasting valuable food, but also taunting him with it.

"Is the little slave hungry? Tell you what. If you can get the food, you can have it." The alien took two large steps from the bars, and dropped the food on thee ground.

Shepard squeezed his arm out through the bars, but couldn't reach any of the bag. Shepard finally gave up. It was pointless to try and get the food, and it was only serving to give the Batarian amusement.

Shepard curled up on thee floor until he heard the alien move away. As soon as he couldn't hear the footsteps anymore, he reached out the bars again. This time, he summoned his biotics. Sarona had taught him to use pin-point biotics to manipulate things accurately, and gently.

Shepard ignored the jolt of electricity that passed through his body from the collar as he lifted the package. It took him three attempts due to fatigue, and the distracting bolts of electricity, but he finally managed to get ahold of the small blue bag.

Shepard spilled the contents into his hand, and ate as fast as he could. No doubt, the slavers would be displeased if he managed to find any comfort. For the first time since being abducted, Shepard went to sleep with a stomach full of food.

MEMEMEME

Two Hours Later

Shepard woke up as the small prison frigate he was on shook violently. Shepard couldn't make out what the alarms were saying, as it was in Batarian, but he could make out 'm'kraza' or danger. No shit.

One of the human mercs opened his cell, and dragged him out. "Your expensive, so don't get any cute ideas about escaping."

Shepard was feeling dizzy from his 'disease' but the merc refused to slow down, instead, he dragged Shepard whenever he staggared

As they passed an armory, one of the consoles to their left exploded. The merc yelped and dropped his gun as the shrapnel pierced his suit. "Fuck that hurts. Hey kid, get some medi-gel from that cabinet." He said, jerking his head towards a red container.

Shepard snatched up the gun and pointed it at the merc. "Wait, wa-" Shepard closed his eyes, and felt hot tears leak out as he fired, ending the man's life.

Shepard stared down at the body. He was horrified at how easily he had killed. He had not hesitated to kill the man who had saved him from his cell. He didn't feel remorseful for what he had done, he only felt pity for the man who stood in his way. _What kind of monster disregards life?_

Shepard looted the body, and grabbed the omni-tool. It was a standard bluewire, but it had basic translations, and he would be able to hack into the Batarians radios to listen in on their plans.

"Mark!" Shepard jerked his head up, and saw another human merc with an assault rifle. "You bastard you killed him."

The human merc shots were wild, and inaccurate. Shepard dove behind a small wall, but a bullet caught him in the shoulder.

The merc seemed to think he was dead, so he stopped firing.

Shepard knew he was no match for the armed merc without his biotics. He had tried to study the collar while he was in his cell, but hadn't figured a way to disable it, and he didn't think he could hack it with the omni-tool. Shepard closed his eyes, and touched the spot were a key-card was supposed go to unlock the collar. He took a deep breath, and sent a blast of biotics through the device. The shock, painful as it was, was short lived, as the collar overloaded, and shut down.

As soon as he was sure the collar had been deactivated, Shepard launched himself at the guard, firing a warp the size of his fist at the man's head.

The merc sidestepped the biotic attack, but the warp exploded against a canister behind him. The canister erupted in fire, and showered both Shepard and the merc with shrapnel.

Shepard held his left arm. Fortunately the shrapnel had passed through his arm, so he wouldn't have to dig it out.

Shepard limped up to the merc's prone body. The body still had a pulse, but was unconscious. Shepard sat down, while alarms blared in the background. He could easily kill the man right now. He had been planning to attack Mindoir, his hom- his old home.

Shepard grabbed the sheathed knife off the merc's belt. He could easily slit this man's throat, and he wanted to do it.

Shepard drew the knife, and pressed it to the human's neck. Shepard smiled sadistically as he pressed the knife in harder, finally drawing blood.

_What are you doing? _A small voice in the back of his head asked. _Your better than this. Do you want to become a monster? A killer?_

Shepard looked at his hand, preparing to kill the merc. "He deserves to die." Shepard snarled out loud.

Ultimately the little voice won out, as he threw the knife to the side. "But I'm not a murderer."

Shepard ran for one of the escape pods. As he rounded the last corner, he saw a couple batarians getting in one of the last pods.

Neither one of them saw him until it was too late. Shepard raised his hand, sending the mercs headlong into the opposite wall.

Shepard jumped into the pod, just as the ship began to crumble under the disruptor torpedoes. The hanger bay exploded, just before his pod jettisoned, sending his small shuttle spinning down to the ground.

MEMEMEME

This mission was going from bad to worse. They had been told that the colony was small and expendable. It was a simple moral qualm, and few of the Cerberus operatives had problems with allowing a colony to be destroyed for the greater good.

Unfortunately, most of their ships had been destroyed in the dog fight above Mindoir, and when they finally boarded the ship Subject 42 was supposed to be in, they found an empty cell, and logs that confirmed a pod had been launched with one human occupant.

Normally, they would call for backup, and storm the planet, killing the slavers that got in their way to reclaim their property. Unfortunately, by that time, the Batarians would be gone. However, they also lacked sufficient troops and transport to go down to Mindoir and find him.

He turned on his FTL communications, and linked into a comm buoy. "Have you secured Subject 42?"

He felt the weight of his boss' blue eyes on him. "No. It seems he escaped to the planet below, but we lack the necessary forces to pursue."

His boss thought about this as he took a drag of his cigarette. "Does he seem to have any control over his biotics?"

"We did find evidence of some biotics, but nothing on par with what Subject 42 should be capable of."

"His mutation seems to be progressing faster than we thought. I have just received some new Intel. You needn't worry about it's content, but despite your... failure, we believe it is possible to salvage this operation. We've locked on to your coordinates, and we should be there in two days."

"Sir? If you don't mind me asking, what of the colony?"

"Its destruction will prove valuable to humanity. I trust you have no problems with this plan."

He swallowed with some difficulty. "N-none sir." He said, punctuating it with a crisp salute

His boss cut the communication. He had lied. It was difficult for him to accept the destruction of an entire colony, but he wasn't about to tell _him_ that.

MEMEMEME

I realize this chapter is a little short, and I apologize. Next few chapters will be wrapping it up, and then I can devote more time to my other story. As always, please review. Your words are like a drug that allows me to make chapters faster. Hey, so I like to know people are actually reading, and enjoying my story.


	9. To Survive

**Chapter 9: To Survive**

Disclaimer: Mass Effect is owned by the amazing people at Bioware.

Sorry I haven't updated in a while, but schools just started, and I've been busy. I have school from seven to three, and with three AP classes worth of homework, I've got more than my share of time spent studying.

MEMEMEME

As his pod fell from the sky, Shepard could see the ashes and smoke. Buildings that had once seemed to tower over everything crumbled in disgrace. Farmlands were burning, and even from up this high, he could make out the flash of mass accelerators, and the occasional explosion.

"Brace for impact in 3." A VI said curtly.

"2."

"1."

Darkness, fire, and pain surrounded him as the world came up to meet his small craft.

Shepard collapsed as soon as he escaped the burning shuttle, and stood up slowly. Afraid to find he had broken anything in impact. He was fortunate to have escaped the wreckage of the pod with only mild burns, and a couple of scratches. At first, he had been worried that he may have dislocated his shoulder, but further scrutiny revealed nothing.

Shepard took a deep breath. Movement, to his left. As he always did during training, his brain took things in as flashes and pictures. His senses were further heightened by a cold rush of adrenaline.

A single bullet traveled faster than his eyes could follow. Out of instinct, his arms rose as if in an attempt to stop the bullet with his bare hands. Obviously, whoever had fired the shot didn't expect the bullet to stop in midair.

Shepard grimaced, and threw a warp from where the shot had originated, hearing a gratifying yelp as the dark energy began to eat at whatever had attacked him.

A second attacker burst from the brush to his right. "It's the biotic, fire, fucking fire!"

Shepard put all of his willpower into creating a barrier into stopping the bullets.

"_Do not think about what you _want_ to happen. Imagine _how_ it will happen." Sarona said_

_He was trying to heat up a cup of tea with only his mind. He had gone through this exercise regularly, but had not yet been able to succeed. Then again, no non-Asari biotics had been able to do so. By now, he knew he was special, but no one knew the extent of his abilities._

_Shepard closed his eyes, and focused once more on each individual molecule that made up the tea. He imagined a great fire burning, and saw each molecule speed up, and vibrate. Shepard opened his eyes, and saw the cup boiling over._

Shepard kneeled, and raised his hands, palm up. "Imagine _how_ it will happen." He whispered to himself. He brought his hands into a cross over his chest, and felt his barriers giving way to the small projectiles. He was close to breaking, and the slavers knew it.

The damn kid just wouldn't go down. Cerberus must have done some fucked up shit to make a human kid capable of stopping a barrage of bullets with nothing more than his mind.

The biotic dropped to his knees and said something unintelligible. "Keep firing, keep firing." His bloody rifle was about to overheat.

Just as his gun clicked a warning, and ejected the spent thermal clip, the child in front of him spread his arms out and yelled.

Shepard began to stand, and as he did so, he let his barriers fall.

_It was always interesting to read the words of the Asari matriarchs. They were so mystic, and had innumerable meanings. Right now, he wasn't concerned about the beauty of their language though. He stared at the diagram matriarch Samara had drawn. _

_The Asari let her barriers flow through her body, and after enough pressure had built, she let her biotics explode in an explosion with more force than most biotic throws achieved._

Shepard let out a load roar as he felt the pressure in his body reach critical mass, until he couldn't hold it, and Batarians, rocks, and plants were blasted back from the explosion.

After a few agonizing breaths, Shepard opened his eyes, and took in the destruction. He hadn't been anywhere near as powerful as Samara had been, but it had certainly been effective.

There was a small crater around him, and a few trees had lost limbs in the explosion. One of the smaller ones had very nearly snapped.

Shepard looked at his hand, and saw that they were shaking, and eerie blue light was visible beneath his hands. Shepard clenched his hands shut, and took off running towards his house. He hopped the Batarians hadn't reached the mountains yet, but if one group had gotten this far...

MEMEMEME

"God almighty..." Corporal Johnson, unlike some Cerberus personnel, was not prejudice against biotics, but when he saw the destruction that a seventeen year old could unleash... Well, it made him want to lock up everything that had even the smallest amount of biotic ability, and throw away the key.

Even the purple Asari next to him was visibly disturbed by the destruction. Trees were damaged, and if it wasn't for their four eyes, it would have been difficult to tell the Batarians apart from any other race, bloodied and broken as they were. A few steps more, and they saw ground zero. Tree limbs were scattered everywhere, and all but the densest iron-rich soil had been blasted away.

Johnson looked down at his omni-tool as his boss popped out of the machine.

"Sarona, I want a status report."

The Asari stared at him for a few seconds before saying "I don't know."

His cybernetic eyes seemed to dim for a second. "What do you mean you 'don't know?' It's your job to know."

Sarona still seemed to be looking at something far off. "I mean sir, that I have never seen something like this. I've heard that there was an Asari Justicar that had done something similar, but I always thought it was an exaggeration."

His cybernetic eyes flashed like a greedy kid who had just been told about Christmas. "He will be a valuable asset to Cerberus. Sarona, secure Subject 42 at all costs, do you hear me? At all costs!"

Sarona made a snap decision. "I hear you." She spat at the holographic representation of her one-time boss. "By the way, his name is Kyler John Shepard."

Sarona summoned her biotics, and snapped Corporal Johnson's neck before he could react. Her old boss was still on the omni-tool, still active on the now limp arm.

"Think about what you are doing Sarona. This could advance biotic technology for all races."

"You care nothing about aliens, only about human dominance."

"That may be true, but nor do you." He cooed. "This will be your final assignment, do this, and I will give you all the information you need to hunt down the Shadow Broker."

She had hated her boss, and everything he stood for. He had always said that if he just did one more thing, she would have the information she needed to kill the Shadow Broker. No more, she would not become a monster just to kill one. "Go to hell."

Sarona resisted the urge to break the omni-tool, but she needed this particular one to make a call.

She slipped off her old omni-tool, and used the late Johnson's omni-tool, that was capable of hacking past the Batarian's comm silence. She dialed a hotline that had been given to her to be used in a high priority emergency. "Systems Alliance." An officer said curtly.

"Mindoir is being attacked by Batarians. Cerberus is involved." She answered equally curt.

"Fuck. Any more Intel you can provide?"

Before Sarona could answer, she heard a sharp pop behind her. Sarona looked down at the spreading violet liquid across her chest. As she sank to her knees, she saw the nearly dead corporal Johnson barley able to aim his gun, and fire three more times.

She may have betrayed Kyler ever since he had known her, but she had given him a chance to escape. The Alliance was no where near perfect, but anything was better than working for Cerberus. It was a far cry from redemption, but it was the best she could do.

Sarona closed her eyes, and repeated the blessing she had given to her prodigy the last time she had seen him. 'May Athame guide your steps, and may your enemies corpses never feed the great mother shark.' Hopefully he hasn't listened to my message yet otherwise I might not feed the mother shark, she thought darkly. "Go, find what peace you may find Mrak." -brother/sister-

MEMEMEME

To him, there were no trees, no brush, and no thrones scraping against his bandaged legs. There was no burning sky, and there was no smokey air. To him, all their was was the burning pain, strained muscle, and unchecked emotions. A thousand thoughts passed through his mind as he rushed towards home.

_Is dad alive? Is Sam alive? Is Sarona alive? _

_Am I alive? _That was perhaps the most frighting questions, because it was the one with the most uncertain answer. He had woken up a few days ago with a frightening amount of incisions, yet had somehow managed to survive.

Now, every step he took, brought him one step closer to home, and one step closer to realizing the fate of his father.

With a last burst of energy, Shepard broke through the line of trees, and on to the familiar farm grounds he had seen since the day he was born.

MEMEMEME

One Hour Ago

John Shepard supposed it was true what they said. 'You can take the man out of the Alliance, but you can never take the Alliance out of the man.'

John spared a final glance at his rather large collection of medals and pictures. He had logged every man and woman who had served under him. He had failed most of them. Matt, Suzan, Tucker, Edward, Kelly, and so many more. It was the burden he carried when he became a Commander, and it was a burden that he still carried.

He had hoped that when he moved to Mindoir with Jane, he would be able to forget. And it had worked too. For a time. But every once in a while, he would return to the basement, and relive his past. It was painful, but sometimes, he thought it was the only thing that really kept him alive.

John grabbed his old assault rifle beside his Star of Terra. He had been awarded the prestigious medal for his heroic defense of earth during the First Contact War. He had been the third person ever to receive it, but to him, it didn't represent heroics and honor. To him it symbolized death, destruction, and every evil thing he had left behind.

Still, it had also been a measure of the soldier he had been. The thing he never wanted to be, ever again. In a moment of vanity, John picked up the Star of Terra, and pinned it to his dirty farmer garb, above his heart. It certainly was true, you couldn't take the Alliance out of the man

Without looking back, John rounded the corner, and entered his house through the back door. This bastards may not be human, but then again, nor where the Turians.

John took position behind the kitchen counter, and counted to fifteen before he heard the front door bang open. Without looking over the counter, John knew that three men had just entered his house. John sucked in a quick breath, and starting firing at random as soon as a ducked out of cover. As he suspected, the invaders were armed with only simple kinetic barriers and combat armor. Two Batarians fell instantly, and the third was heavily wounded before finding cover behind a small alcove behind the stairs.

John hid behind the counter again, and waited. These raiders were simply thugs with shiny guns, and custom armor. He doubted the Batarian had ever actually been seasoned in battle.

As if to prove his point, the Batarian ran around the corner, and into the kitchen. Right where John was waiting for him.

The military issue talon knife was unsheathed, and was drunk with alien blood, before either warrior realized what had just happened.

The Batarian clutched at the gaping wound in his throat that was bleeding profusely. No amount of medi-gel in the world would save him.

John crouched behind cover, and waited for the next wave. He had no doubts that he would see plenty more bloodshed before the day was over.

MEMEMEME

Present Time

John finished applying the medi-gel to his growing collection of wounds. His reserves were dwindling dangerously low, and he doubted it would be safe for him to use whatever medicine these aliens used. John spat out a wad of blood, and went back to treating yet another wound. Fortunately, most of the bullets had simply glanced off his bones, but a couple on his chest where not so good. And if the pain in his lungs when he breathed was any indicator, he had at least two broken ribs.

It had been frightening how easily he had fallen into the simple routine: take cover, fire, kill, repeat. He didn't know if that made him a monster, but it was certainly the only thing standing between him, and oblivion.

His commandeered comlink alerted him to more hostiles incoming. John positioned himself behind the low wall near the entrance, shotgun in hand.

It was never the appropriate time, but he had time to reflect on his life during battle. The adrenaline seemed to give him a clarity he could not get anywhere else. He didn't know what had happened to his son, but as long as he was millions of miles away from here, it didn't really matter, as long as he was safe.

A group of Batarians stormed through the remains of the front door. John was able to make out about eight soldiers. He must have really earned their ire if they wanted him dead this badly. John popped out from cover, and landed on one knee. He had shot twice, before the gun was even up to his shoulder, and he didn't stop firing until the heat sink popped out.

John hid behind the wall before the first barrage of shots rained down on his cover. Either this batch of raiders were extremely skilled, or lucky, but one of the bullets grazed his ribs.

Gritting his teeth against the pain, John stood out from cover, and returned fire. One of the dumber aliens refused to duck, and was gunned down instantly with a single pump of the shotgun. The other remaining three took cover behind the kitchen counter that he had hid behind originally.

John crouched down, and tried to approach the counter as furtively as he could. John jumped over the counter, no longer with any intentions of stealth, and gunned down thee two Batarians hiding there.

_I must be getting old, I thought I saw three-_

John spun around, and slashed at the air with his knife. The crude weapon sliced through the air harmlessly, and the Batarian took advantage of the delay, stepping in, and pressing the muzzle of his pistol on John's gut.

Kyler burst through the back door, and looked at the destruction that littered the house. It didn't take him long to notice the two figure fighting in the kitchen. Shepard rounded the corner, and watched as an alien pulled a gun on his father, and shot him. Twice.

Shouting in indignant rage, Shepard's face contorted into one of rage, hatred, and something of a nightmare, surrounded in a haze of dark blue energy.

The Batarian whipped his head around, too late. His four eyes barley had time to register a flash of blue, before his body was lifted effortlessly, and sent flying through the thick wood of the house's support.

Shepard instantly gave pursuit, and found the pathetic being, crawling away on broken hands and knees. The Batarian cowered as the shadow of the child passed over him. "Please, have mercy."

Shepard spat at the... _thing_ in front of him. "Mercy? Mercy? Did you show mercy when you killed the colonists, my friends? My father? You are unworthy of life!" Shepard barred his teeth as he lifted the Batarian in the air. Shepard stepped forward, and touched his hand to the aliens forehead.

_Sarona: "A true biotic is capable of much more than simply moving physical objects. Yes, any biotic can condense matter into a warp, any biotic can move a rock, and any biotic with enough focus can move something as small as molecules to heat up water. However, only a true biotic can convert matter into energy. Such techniques are often condemned in society, but on the battlefield, anything goes. This conversion of matter to energy is often called reave."_

What Sarona had said was true, converted matter could be used to heal, but it could also be used to kill. It could be used to make people suffer. It could be used to torture. As Shepard touched his hand to the aliens head, a faint red glow was visible in the 'humans' palm.

The Batarian writhed under the seemingly benign light, and the grass underfoot withered and died, as if they hadn't been exposed to light in days. Meanwhile, a sadistic expression had been plastered to Shepard's face, as he drank in the living life-force of everything around him.

_John: "A Shepard's name is his own job description: a Shepard is a Protector. Each generation of our family has taken up the title with pride. Many have sought to protect through medicine or science. Others have protected with guns and bullets, but each has done his piece to protect those who can not. A Shepard is a Protector, but a Protector is harder to define. A Protector is someone who not only protects those who can't, but is also a champion of justice. A Protector should never seek revenge and destruction, or want to hurt others because they enjoy it. A Shepard is a Protector, and we are Shepards."_

Slowly, the grin on his face disappeared, and Shepard let the Batarian fall to the ground. To the confused expression on the aliens face, Shepard said simply "I am a Shepard; a Shepard is a Protector; a Protector does not seek revenge; I am a Protector."

Shepard turned his back on the destruction behind him, and mounted the stairs as the light from his house, as well as the dying light of his biotics illuminated his face.

John coughed blood from his punctured lungs. If he had more medi-gel, and a good doctor, he might be able to live, but without either, his chances were looking pretty grim.

As his vision began to fade to gray, a figure hunched over him. At first he thought it was the Batarian, come to finish him. Then he felt a cold drop splash on his cheek. Whoever was looming over him was sobbing. "Dad? Dad."

John smiled. It was good to be near his son. One of his hands squeezed his son's hand with surprising force for a dying man, and the other reached up to caress his son's face. There he felt more tears, ready to cascade down. "You know our family motto?"

Shepard whimpered for a second before responding "Y-yes, a Shepard is a Protector."

"That's my boy." John breathed. "A Shepard is a Protector, and we will not let fear change who we are. Never let fear corrupt who you are."

"T-the Batarian w-who shot you... He's alive..."

John smiled. "You are a better man than I. A better Shepard, a better Protector. I am so proud of you my son. So proud. You haven't let fear change you; don't, or you wont like what you become."

"I wont father, I promise." Kyler vowed.

"I know." John let go of his sons hand, and reached up to his heart. When his hand rejoined with Kyler's, it was slick with blood, but it also had a sharp, pointed object in it. "I never told you, a Shepard is a Protector, and I failed. I was given charge of a squad, and they died. I failed to protect my friends, and failed myself. In response for my _bravery_" even in his death throes, John was able to scoff "I was awarded the Star of Terra. I never deserved it, but you do. You are a good person Kyler, don't let anything the Alliance does change that. They will tear you down, to build you up. They will take your humanity; don't let them. They will turn you into something that only cares for destruction, but that is not what a Protector is. Always remember that. You are a Protector, and not a killer. There is a difference." John coughed once more. He wiped the blood speckled on his lips with his shoulder, and continued as he closed his eyes. "I am so proud. Now, make yourself proud. I love you Kyler. Never forget that. I love you."

Kyl- Shepard tilted his head back and screamed. He cursed the aliens, he cursed the Alliance, he cursed fate and God, but most of all, he cursed himself. If only he had been faster. He should have gotten here faster!

Finally, when his voice was too hoarse to yell anymore, he could make out the sound of approaching footsteps. As darkness surrounded the landscape, Shepard was kept in the light of his biotics, dancing around his body, and protecting his body, while also harming those who would harm others. Shepard blocked the first burst of gunfire, and sent a shockwave through the night, illuminating the form of a Batarian squad.

Shepard focused on each life he snuffed out, trying to find pity, so as to keep his humanity. His father was right. He couldn't succumb to fear and hate, lest he become a monster himself. He would carry on the Shepard ideals. He would make his father proud.

MEMEMEME

I can finally say that I think I did pretty good on this chapter. At first I thought I focused too much on the blood-lust, so I focused on symbolism and even some poetry. Hope you like this. As always, review! I haven't been getting recently, so my ability to write quickly has been hampered. If you want to see more chapters soon, review. Even if it's just a generic 'hey good job, hope to see more chapters soon.' Reviews make my day. Anyway, thanks for reading.

P.S. If anyone was confused, when Shepard exits the escape pod, and sends out that biotic explosion thing, imagine the shield one of your biotic party members hold up during the suicide mission in ME2.

P.P.S. When Shepard was sucking the life of the guy at the end, remember what he does after losing consciousness when the gang tries to rape Sam.


	10. The Alliance

Chapter 10: **The Alliance **

Sorry it's been so long, not much of an excuse, but schools been really difficult. In any event, this will be the final chapter before I start work on the second arc of Kyler's life. 

Shepard hoisted his late father's shotgun off his shoulder, and peered into the early morning light. The ground in front of his house was littered with bodies, mostly Batarian, but also some humans. He had been repelling raiders since night had fallen, and they had only recently given up. He wasn't yet sure if the slavers had left, or if they were just regrouping, and were planning on attacking soon, but he couldn't stay at home anymore. He needed to search the town, but first, he had to take care of his father...

Shepard groaned as he tried to stand. He did a couple stretches, and was rewarded with a series of pops as his bones released their tension that had been mounting all through the hellish night.

Shepard took his fathers bloody body in his arms solemnly, and carried the corpse into the woods, near where they had buried his mother. He had only visited his mothers grave a couple times, but was still able to find the stone grave marker with relative ease.

What would have taken hours with a shovel, took mere seconds as Shepard moved large mounds of dirt with his biotics. He stopped when he finally saw the rot-resistant wood of his mothers coffin. Taking up John's body reverently, he set the body on top of the coffin, and crossed his father's hands over his chest.

Shepard looked at the face that had once been full of life, and hope. To Shepard, he had been a role model, as well as his father. He had wanted to stay on Mindoir, and become a farmer like his father. He didn't want to go and explore the galaxy. But that future had been taken away from him. Or perhaps it had never been his future. That possibility had been nothing but smoke and a dream from the day he had been born a biotic.

"Father, I know this isn't the life we wanted, but I will make the ancestors proud, and I will make you proud. I'm sorry I couldn't get there sooner, I'm sorry I couldn't protect you. I promise, I will never let it happen again. I will protect everyone." Shepard gasped for air, but he didn't cry, he'd done that enough last night, and he had nothing left.

Shepard looked past his father's body, and at the faceless coffin it lay on. "Mother, I never got to know you, but I know you loved me, just as I love you. I swear, I will do something to make you proud. You may not have wanted me to be a biotic, but they are the gifts you blessed me with. I know, we all wanted a different future, but this is the one I was given, and it is the one I'll make the most of."

As Shepard began to biotically push the dirt back on to the grave, he began to drone his family motto. "I am a Shepard; a Shepard is a Protector; a Protector helps those who cannot help themselves; I am a Protector." Shepard winced as the last mound of dirt covered the tomb, and amended the motto. "I will not let fear change who I am. I promise."

He closed his eyes to keep them from watering, and held out a single finger, cutting a single line into the rock of the grave marker with his biotics: 'We will not let fear change who we are.'

"I promise." He repeated, as he turned his back on the red dirt that made up his parents grave.

Shepard took a deep breath, and headed to the town. He needed to know what, if anything, was left.

MEMEMEME

Lieutenant Alice Greyson stepped out of the landing shuttle, and surveyed the destruction. The entire colony was deserted. Some of the buildings were still burning, but not a single structure over ten feet tall was left standing.

She knew it was unlikely that they would find any survivors in such a battlefield, but orders were orders.

Greyson let her rifle expand in her hands, and prepared it in case any slavers were still left, and began the tedious and morbid job of searching for any signs of life among the ruins.

Shepard rushed between the buildings, looking for anybody. An almost sadistic part of him was glad to see all the bastards who made his life hell dead. But the part of him that was Shepard pushed such thoughts away quickly. Instead, he let his mind feel the pain of each life destroyed. Just as he had with the raiders last night.

Someone shouted to his left. It sounded deep, and too guttural to be human, followed by an all too human scream.

Shepard entered the building that had once been an office, where the sounds had originated. He creeped up the stairs, and watched as a Batarian slaver tried to restrain a group of slaves.

One of the Batarians, obviously the leader, shouted to his three companions "Get this meat into the crates, and let's get out of here. An Alliance vessel was spotted landing near here."

The slavers moved to do as ordered, and began packing the small group of human into a small crate. Like animals!

Shepard roared, and charged, tendrils of biotic energy crackled around his body madly.

Greyson signaled for her three-man squad to stop. Medic Walker and Corporal Henderson nodded to confirm what she heard. Quietly, they followed the inhuman yell.

Greyson motioned for Walker to cover her and Henderson, while they advanced to the office building. Just as they began to near the entrance, they heard a human roar.

All three soldiers stared in shock as the outer wall exploded outwards in a shower of broken brick and plaster

Greyson looked up through the rather large whole in the second story wall, and watched a kid, no older than eighteen, blast three Batarians from wall to wall in a furry of singularities, pulls, and throws, even after the alien's bodies had long since gone limp.

Shepard approached the hole in the wall he had created when he threw the leader, and stared down at the soldiers below him, all dressed in Alliance uniform. Two of the soldiers looked up at him with shock, and a bit of horror, but the third soldier looked at him with open hate. An expression Shepard had become quite accustomed to since everyone in the colony learned he was a biotic. The third soldier raised his rifle and fired a single shot.

Shepard had become accustomed to hatred, and mean looks, but he certainly wasn't expecting that. If he had not been so exhausted, Shepard might have been able to put up a barrier in time. But after fighting all night, dealing with the emotional stress of his father's death, and having just spent his reserves killing the last slavers, he had nothing left.

Shepard looked down at the wound in his chest blankly, and felt his body fall to the street below him.

Greyson watched as perhaps the only survivor in the entire colony was murdered. By one of her squad members. "What the hell are you thinking? We finally find a survivor and you try to kill him?"

The corporal looked taken aback. "I.. I just... Ma'am he was a biotic, he could killed us with a blink of his eye." He said the word 'biotic' as if it was a perfectly good reason for shooting civilians.

"Dammit corporal who's side are you on? He's just a kid." She rushed over to the body and put her hand to the boys neck. "Walker! I've got a faint pulse. Get that med kit ready! Hold on kid, hold on."

MEMEMEMEME

Two Hours Later

As XO of the _Einstein_, Greyson should probably be writing a report, or checking up on the rest of the crew. Instead, after giving corporal Henderson a stern warning and a slap on the wrist, she had gone straight to medbay, and announced that she would stay there until she got confirmation that Shepard was going to be alright.

Greyson watched as her Captain, Commander David Anderson, approached the door to medbay. "XO Greyson." He acknowledged her. "You alright?"

Greyson sighed, but nodded. "Yeah, I just feel responsible for his health." She motioned to the child in medbay. "This was my first ground mission as XO, and I already lost control of one of my men in the field."

Commander Anderson patted her shoulder and reassured her. "You just need to get to know your men. Get their trust, and they will listen to you."

"I hope you're right Commander. I'm just worried I wont be a successful officer."

"I have all confidence that you'll do just fine. I wouldn't have hand-picked you as my XO if I didn't feel you were up to the task." Anderson stood up straight, and assumed a more commanding authority. "Now, if you want to become a good XO, you'll have to get to know each and every one of your ground team. So get to it."

"But Commander, what about the patient?"

"I'll look after him, you just talk to your crew. Or do I have to make in an order?"

"No sir! Please, tell me if his condition changes."

Anderson nodded. "Good luck lieutenant."

Shepard opened his eyes, but felt restraints on his arms and legs.

_A few days ago: Everything is in a haze. Tools buzzing around me, skin feels like it's on fire. Metal piercing my spin. Bleeding, bleeding, always bleeding. His amp has long been installed, but the tests continue. They are adding various chemicals and technology to my body. He feels restraints holding him down. The tests continue._

"Doctor! He's waking up!"

A clear British voice said "Well sedate him."

"I already did!".

"How much anesthesia did you give him?"

He heard an answer but couldn't make out the words

"He's a biotic. Faster metabolism means it has less of an effect, so up the dosage."

Shepard felt a cold liquid enter his arm, but something in him seemed to resist it instantly. "It's still not working!"

A third voice said "My god, he's showing signs of awareness!"

A fourth voice, male and commanding asked "Can't you just give him another sedative?"

The British voice answered "No Commander, we already gave him near lethal amounts of sedatives. Any more, and we could potentially kill him."

Anderson placed a hand to his ear, and called his XO as Doctor Chakwas and her team restrained their patient.

"Commander? Is something wrong?"

"Lieutenant, you might want to see this. The patient is resisting the sedatives, and is struggling."

His comm went dead in response, and a few seconds later, Greyson burst through the door, and straight to the boys side. "It's alright kid. Your safe here, no body is going to hurt you now." Greyson said, patting his hand softly.

Shepard heard faint words of reassurance, and stopped struggling slightly. "Cerberus, needles. It hurts, I just want the pain to stop."

"It will, but you need to go to sleep. It will all be better soon."

Shepard's eyes fluttered for a moment before closing. "They're dead. All of them." He whispered. "I killed them, be-because I-I didn't... didn't stop it... Shepards... are Protectors..."

"You saved them, Shepard is it? You saved those colonists. Because of you, five colonists are still alive." The reassuring voice told him.

The boy, Shepard, finally relaxed. Chakwas nodded her thanks, and got to work replacing his bandages, and healing the wound from Henderson's gun.

MEMEMEMEME

One Hour Later

Greyson rolled her shoulder, and headed back to the medbay. Chakwas had said it would take an hour or so for the boy to make any signs of recovery, but it was very possible that Shepard would survive, now that he had stopped thrashing.

An exhausted Chakwas was leaning against the door to medbay. "Lieutenant Greyson." Chakwas walked up to her, and continued. "It looks like the boy, I believe you said his name was Shepard? It looks like he'll make a full recovery, but..."

All her hopes were shattered as Chakwas let her sentence dangle. "'But'? Come on doctor, don't leave me hanging, what's wrong?"

Chakwas flinched. She had to say it, but even from a medical standpoint, it was difficult to think about what that boy must have gone through. "While I was cleaning his wounds, I found extensive cybernetic enhancements. I didn't think much about them, until I did a full brain scan. The cybernetics have been grafted to his cortex, some of the implants look recent, but others look as if they were put in his body when he was a baby, and have been growing in his body ever since. I also found extensive element zero throughout his body. As you no doubt know, he is a biotic, but I've never heard of someone surviving with that much eezo in them. Medically, he should be dead."

"So why isn't he?"

"Honestly? I don't know. His brain is also more developed than most human brains, so I have no doubt that he received biotics training."

"Can-can I see him?"

"Of course you can talk to him. The Commander is already in there with him, but I doubt he would mind if you went in."

Anderson walked into the medbay, and immediately saw the young man laying on the bed. Anderson walked to the bedside, and sat down on the edge of the bed. "Hello son, my name is David Anderson. I'm a Commander in the human Alliance."

The young man narrowed his eyes, and said "The others said they were Alliance. For trusting them, I got abducted, and was some science experiment while my colony was destroyed!"

"I understand you are angry, but I just wanted to ask a few questions. I wont hurt you, I promise."

The young man nodded his head, but said nothing.

"So, what is your name?"

He blinked once before answering "Kyler Shepard, sir."

"Do you have any family members off world? Somewhere you can go?"

"No, my dad never talked about any relatives."

"Your dad's on Mindoir? Don't worry, if he's still alive we'll find him."

The kid, Kyler, must have thought that was funny, because the sides of his lips curled up in a morbid smile. "You can look for him if you want, but I already know where he is. Just look for the newly carved grave marker in the forest."

Anderson looked down at the floor. "I'm sorry, and your mother?"

"She died when I was ten."

_Great, now we have to deal with an orphan, with no known relatives. _Just then, Greyson entered the medbay, and took Shepard's hand in hers. "Hey there Kyler, how are you?"

Shepard just nodded, and mechanically replied that he was fine. "I know this is hard for you to handle, but we're doing our best to find anymore survivors."

Tears began to build behind Shepard's eyes as the shock began to wear off. "Th-the entire colony can't be gone." He whispered. "There were hundreds of people on Mindoir. They couldn't have taken everyone!"

"They didn't." Greyson assured him. "You are still alive, and the five would-be-slaves you saved are all alive."

"Was there a purple Asari with them? Or a girl my age named Sam?"

"We didn't find anyone like that, but we are still looking. It's very possible they are still alive." Technically, it was Anderson's job to deal with any survivors, but Kyler seemed to trust Greyson. Plus, his XO needed to get used to dealing with people suffering from PTSD.

"I hope so."

Anderson didn't like the direction the conversation was headed. The only outcome would be Kyler either getting angry, and denying the possibility that the colony was destroyed, or he would break down into tears, or both. "Who _is_ Sarona?"

Shepard got a faraway look in his eyes and replied "She was my biotics tutor, and one of the few people who supported me."

Greyson winced as he used the pass tense. "You know, if she is a biotic, she could still be alive."

"I know, and I hope so. But even if she is alive, I am no longer her pupil. I completed my tutorship."

Greyson. Meet me in my office, we have to discuss other matters." Anderson siad, and turned back to Shepard. "We'll be back in just a little while OK? You try to get some rest."

Shepard nodded his head, and lay back on the single medical pillow on the bed. "Yes sir."

Anderson nodded, and guided his XO to his office by the shoulder. The door slid shut behind them, and he motioned for her to take a seat as he did so himself. "So, what do you think about this kid Greyson? This is off the record, so feel free to speak your mind."

The XO nodded sadly. "I don't know. He has no living family or friends. He lost everything in that raid, what kind of life can he lead? His life is already over before he ever got the chance to live it. It may be melodramatic, but he'll miss out on everything other people enjoy."

"Unfortunately, you may be correct." Anderson agreed. "What you recommend we do with him?"

She didn't respond for a moment, but eventually sighed. "I'm not sure there is anything we can do. Unless... Commander, how old is he?"

A small smile passed across Anderson's face. Greyson might just make a good officer one day. "The colony census was destroyed in the attack. For all we know, he could be 18, and able to join the Alliance. And even if he isn't old enough, he could still be sent to a military academy on the basis that he is a biotic."

"Do you want me to talk to him?" Greyson asked.

"If you want. Lieutenant Greyson, give me his answer in half an hour. I need to get these reports filed before Hackett takes my head for failing to file an official document to the Alliance.

Greyson nodded sympathetically. Ever since Hackett had been promoted to second in command of the Arcturus fleet, he had been barking orders like no one else. "Yes sir." She said, and saluted crisply, before turning on her heels, and heading back to the medbay.

Shepard raised his eyes to watch Greyson, as she moved to his bedside, as slowly as she dared. "Kyler-" A short sigh. "Kyler," she started again "the colonies records were destroyed in the raid, so we don't know your age. Would you mind telling us?"

"Why?" He demanded. He wanted to be just a faceless kid, and be left alone. So the less people knew about him, the better.

Greyon patted his arm patronizingly. "Anderson and I were talking about what you could do when you recovered, and I have a proposition for you."

If anyone has any advice for my next story, tell them to me in your reviews. So far, all I have is that Shepard will make a name for himself on Elysium. Originally, I was going to write about his time in boot camp, but I'm just going to skip right to the Blitz unless someone really wants me to write about his time in boot camp.


End file.
